Stay with me
by BeCkYbOnG
Summary: Sequel to "Save me": Tears stroke down my face as I flew like a ghost through the dark forest. There were no other sounds than my heart-broken sobs, yet I continued running, trying to stop the impossible from happening.
1. Punish

**Punish**

**Here's a link to the first story: ****.net/s/5486475/1/Save_me**

_Preface:_

_Tears stroke down my face as I flew like a ghost through the dark forest. There were no other sounds than my heart-broken sobs, but I continued running, trying to stop the impossible from happening. _

"So you're going to starve yourself just because of this one single human?"

The voice startled me, and I glanced up from the floor that I'd stared at the whole day. Lucas stood in the doorway to the room, looking at me with slightly bored eyes. In his hand was a plastic bag with blood which he now reached forward, expecting me to take it.

I looked away from him again, regretting that I'd showed any interest.

For over a week I'd been sitting in Isaac's room, refusing to both talk and drink. My throat was aching worse than ever and my body felt oddly weak, but it felt as a good punish for what I had done.

Every hour or so, Isaac came to the room, always begging me to speak to him. Although it hurt inside of me when I heard the pain in his voice, I couldn't do as he asked me to. I felt too horrible inside.

Lucas sighed and took a few steps into the room, but I kept my gaze focused on the floor. From the corner of my eye, I saw how he bent down beside me.

"Look, Isaac's been nagging me for three days now, so I'm not leaving until I've made some progress," Lucas said in a voice that matched his expression.

Unable to stop myself, I opened my mouth and spoke in a quiet voice. "Just go. If I don't want to talk to Isaac, then I definitely don't want to talk to you."

"If I go now, Isaac will probably drag me up here again."

I shrugged.

"He's losing his mind, Jessica. You can't do like this to him."

Again, I couldn't stop myself from speaking. "But don't you understand? That man probably had a wife and children, and I _killed_ him."

Lucas hesitated, as if he wasn't quite sure what to say, so I continued talking.

"The worst part is actually that I know how it feels to lose someone I love. And now I'm responsible for bringing that pain to someone else."

"I know…"

"No, you _don't_ know", I interrupted him. "Because you have done this over and over again without caring about the pain you've inflicted in someone's life."

I closed my mouth as soon as the last word was out, regretting that I'd said anything. I hadn't forgotten how he'd threatened me last week.

I glanced quickly at his face, which was why I saw how his eyes flashed with anger.

"Don't blame anything on me. What you're doing now is just plain stupid, and you know it," he growled.

I looked away again, this time to hide how shocked I was to hear his furious tone.

We sat in silence for a little while, until Lucas suddenly sighed and began to speak as if we were in the middle of a conversation.

"Even Isaac has done it. And although I know he regrets it, he hasn't tried to kill himself just because of it."

"He has?" I asked, too shocked to keep quiet again.

"He had no other choice in the beginning."

The curiosity started growing inside of me, washing away the regret. "How long was he like that then?"

A tiny smile appeared on Lucas lips. "No, no. You'll have to talk to _him_ about that."

Before I could prompt him for more information, he got up and held out the bag with blood again.

"Isaac is my brother. Don't hurt him."

"Why do you even care?"

He ignored my question and dropped the bag in my lap before he walked out of the room. I sat still for a minute, just watching the little straw that was taped to the side of the bag. The thirst in my throat was painful, but I was too lost in my thoughts to barely notice it.

Although I didn't want to admit it, I knew Lucas was right. I couldn't really understand where all his compassion had come from, but he was obviously worried about Isaac. And even though I hated myself for the moment, I couldn't be the one who was hurting Isaac.

I was not quite sure if it was the thought of bringing pain to Isaac or the burning thirst that made me change my mind, but I didn't stop myself as I stuck the thin straw into the plastic bag and gave up my depression.

* * *

Although I was disgusted by drinking, the blood once again made my whole body feel healthy and warm. The feeling of well-being almost washed away the last depression inside of me. Well, _almost._

The curiosity hadn't fully vanished after my conversation with Lucas, which was why I now walked slowly down the stairs – listening intently for any sound that could lead me to Isaac. The whole house was dead silent.

I stopped outside the door to the living room, deliberating whether or not to check inside. The idea of meeting Lucas there instead of Isaac was not very comforting.

After a long moment, though, I couldn't help but to slowly open the door and peek inside. To my great relief, the room was empty.

Without hesitating, I walked inside and sat down on one of the couches. There was a small table standing right beside me, and on it was a newspaper with today's date on it. Although I'd never been interested in reading the news, I was suddenly very curious about what had happened while I'd been lost in my depression.

The front page caught my attention at once, and I bent my head closer to read more intently.

_Another victim lost to the serial killer_

"_Early yesterday, Mary King was found dead outside her house. __The cause of death was exactly similar to the nine other deceases this week; blood-drained body and a snapped neck. No fingerprints were found on her body, though, which confuses both the police and the citizens of the town. _

_The police are now ordering everyone to stay inside their houses as much as possible until they've found the murderer…"_

The sound of a hemming startled me, and the paper dropped from my hands to the floor with a quiet thud. I looked up to see both Isaac and Lucas standing in the doorway to the room; Isaac smiling at me and Lucas staring at me with the same bored expression on his face as before.

"Did you do this?" I hissed at Lucas, stabbing my finger at the newspaper that still lay on the floor beneath me.

The happiness drained from Isaac's face immediately, and was replaced by a frown.

"Do what?" Lucas asked hesitantly.

I got up from the couch and walked over to where they both stood, grabbing the paper from the floor on my way.

"Don't play all innocent now," I growled at Lucas at the same time as I threw the newspaper in his face. "_Ten_ people have been murdered."

Lucas read the front page intently for a minute, until he suddenly let out a low chuckle.

"You think I've killed all these people?" he asked.

I gave him a dark look. "I know you have. What I don't know is _why_ you did this. I thought you were finally starting to act a _tiny _bit nice, but now…"

"I haven't done a thing," Lucas interrupted. The amused tone he'd used before had now completely vanished.

"Then who has?" I asked. "You're the only one here who could have done something like this."

Lucas took a step closer so that he could hover over me. I glared up at his face, refusing to show any sign of fear.

"I did not do this," he said slowly.

Isaac was suddenly standing right next to me with his hand pressed against Lucas' chest, shoving him back a few steps.

"Back off, Lucas."

"But she's accusing me for this."

"Well, there's no other explanation," I growled.

"Yes, there is," Isaac said quietly.

Both I and Lucas stared at him for a long moment, waiting impatiently for him to speak again. When he did, his voice sounded more serious than I'd ever heard it.

"There's another vampire in town."

**Du-du-dum. **** That was supposed to be my "To-be-continued-sound" ;)**

**Anyways, don't forget to review and tell me what you think about this first chapter (:**


	2. Search

**Search**

I paced impatiently back and forth across the living room while Isaac sat still on the couch, just watching my restless moves with an absentminded expression on his face. It had been more than an hour since Lucas had left the house to go search for the new denizen in town, and the more time that flew by – the more edgy I got.

Isaac suddenly sighed; a sound that made me skid to a halt and give him a worried glance.

"He'll be back soon, Jessica."

"How can you possible know that? I mean, think of how many more humans that could be dying right now, just because…"

He was suddenly standing right in front of me with his hand on my shoulder, which made my breath get caught in my throat.

He pretended not to notice my reaction. "It's not our responsibility to take care of this. We don't even know if it's _one_ vampire; there could be many more."

"Didn't you say that there weren't many vampires?"

"Well, I've never met anyone but Lucas and our creator."

"And me," I added.

He smiled in response, which made the corner of my mouth lift slightly upwards for a second, before the smile vanished as fast as it had appeared.

"But what if there _is _more than one vampire?" I asked. "Lucas can't stand against more than one, can he?"

Isaac opened his mouth to say something, but nothing but air came out. His eyebrows crumbled together and his eyes turned slightly worried.

"I haven't thought about that," he finally said, his tone as anxious as the rest of his features.

"How many do you think there could be?"

"Well, only ten people have been killed…"

"_Only_ ten?" I interrupted.

"If there would have been more than five vampires, then it would definitely have been ten times as many victims."

My mouth plopped open with shock, and I stared at him with wide eyes.

"Ten times as many victims?" I managed to choke out.

He nodded with a severe expression on his face.

"Then how many could there be here now?" I asked when I'd calmed down enough to remember how to use my mouth normally.

"Two or three, I would say."

Although I'd never felt anything near compassion for Lucas, I couldn't stop a wave of worry from flooding through my body.

"We have to help him," I mumbled. "He can't fight _three_ vampires."

Isaac stared at me with a puzzled expression on his face.

"What?" I asked, starting to feel as self-conscious as I always did when he looked at me like that.

"I never thought you would care about him getting hurt," he explained.

"It doesn't matter that it's Lucas. It's bad enough that _anyone_ gets hurt."

He nodded in agreement and changed the subject. "Do you think you're capable of stopping a vampire?"

"What do you mean with _capable_?"

"We'll have to kill them. Are you sure that's something you want to do?"

"I don't want to, but I _have_ to. I can't let them kill more innocent people."

"Right."

I frowned as I heard the doubt in his voice, but decided not to mention anything about it.

"How do you kill a vampire?" I asked instead.

It was clear on Isaac's expression that he didn't appreciate the question, but he answered anyway – knowing that I would have to know to be able to help.

"The only way to kill one is to…use fire."

"You _burn_ them?" I asked. The curiosity was easy to detect in my voice.

He nodded once; a fast jerk with his head. The unhappiness was still clear on his face.

"We should probably get going…" I said in an attempt to distract him.

It worked; he blinked once before he nodded and walked over to a big shelf in the room. In a fast move, he opened one of the doors and grabbed something small and black. A lighter.

Before I had time to count to three, he hurried back to my side and grabbed my hand in a tight grip.

"Let's go."

* * *

To my great relief, the town was almost deserted; everyone had taken the police's order seriously. Only a few humans walked quickly down the streets, eager to get inside the safety of their houses.

I kept myself close to Isaac, not wanting anyone to really see me. My eyes were covered behind a pair of black sunglasses, just if someone would care enough to notice how I'd changed. Luckily, the sun was up on the sky, giving me a great excuse to use the glasses.

Although I was worried about what could happen if Lucas challenged the other vampires, I still enjoyed the feeling of being outside. The sky was coloured in an incredibly beautiful blue tone, and there were no clouds to be seen. The warmth of the sun was missing, though, which probably had something to do with my changed features.

I sighed out of pleasantness, forgetting about my other worries for a second. I could feel Isaac's curious eyes on me, but I kept my gaze straight ahead.

We walked in silence for another while, until he suddenly came to a stop. I gave him a confused glance.

"I have to trace Lucas," he explained. "Could you stay here for a minute?"

"You're leaving me alone?"

"Don't worry. You'll do fine."

I bit my lip but nodded. He kissed my forehead quickly before he half-ran down the street, leaving me alone on the street. No one else was there beside from me, so I sat down on the kerbside. I tapped my fingers restlessly against my knees as I waited for Isaac to return.

"Jess?"

'_Oh__, please tell me I just imagined that voice'_, I begged to myself.

"Jessica?" Zac's voice was closer now.

I glanced up just in time to see how he sat down beside me. A huge smile enlightened his face, and I had to admit that I felt a bit rude when I just stared at him instead of returning his smile.

"I haven't seen you in so long," he started anyway. "You haven't been to school since…Are you okay?"

A strike of worry suddenly flashed through his eyes, and I knew the reason why.

"I'm just fine," I answered as nonchalantly as I could.

My eyes darted away from his face as I tried to come up with a good excuse to why I looked so different.

"But you look really pale. Are you sure you're not sick?"

"No, I'm fine. Really."

In my peripheral vision I saw how he leaned a little closer, and when he spoke his voice was lower than before.

"Has _he_ done something to you?"

My head snapped up again as I heard the accusation in his voice.

"How can you even think that?" I growled.

"Well, you look kind of…"

His voice trailed of into silence as he saw the furious expression on my face. He leaned even closer, as if he was afraid that Isaac might show up and hear what he was saying.

"You know you can…"

The scent of his blood was suddenly overwhelming as he sat so close to me, and I leaned slightly away from him.

"Zac, you should go now," I said, interrupting whatever he was saying.

"What?"

"You should go," I repeated.

"Are you mad at me for what I said?" he asked, still confused. "Or for what happened last month? I mean, I was being a jerk, I know…"

"Just go. Please."

I squeezed my eyes shut and leaned forward so that I could press my forehead against my knees. I clenched my teeth tightly together in an attempt to ignore the wild thirst in my throat. Beside me, Zac shuffled to his feet beside me, but didn't move more than that.

"Are you sure…"

"Go," I growled.

He stood still for another incredibly long second before he finally started walking away from me with hesitant steps. I kept myself frozen in my position until the sound of his footsteps had faded away.

Before I had time to straighten up again, Isaac was suddenly at my side. His hand stroke my back soothingly.

"That was really good, Jessica," he murmured.

Since my teeth were still pressed together, my words came out harsher than I'd intended them to. "Good? I could have killed him!"

"But you didn't," he replied calmly.

I shook my head in disbelief as I heard his tone, and leaned up from my crouched position so that I could look at him. But instead of arguing further, I asked a more important question.

"Did you find any trace of Lucas?"

"Not a single one," Isaac sighed, both frustrated by the disappointing truth and confused by my sudden change of subject.

"Then we should probably continue searching."

He stared at me with an unreadable expression on his face for a few seconds, until he nodded and got up from the pavement. Like the gentleman he was, he offered me his hand and helped me up, too.

"Where have you looked for him?" I asked, trying to sound business-like. All I wanted was to forget the moment with Zac.

"Everywhere in town. He's nowhere to be seen."

"Have you considered the fact that…we might be too late?" I asked carefully.

Isaac frowned and looked away from me. I laid my arms carefully around him to comfort him, and he returned the hug by pulling me closer and burying his head in my hair. His touch seemed to have some effect on my mind; all of my worries disappeared as I stood so close to him.

All of sudden, a voice broke through the silence – making both me and Isaac jump slightly.

"It's good to see that you're concerned about me," Lucas said sarcastically behind us.

I quickly broke free from Isaac and turned around so that I could give Lucas a murderous glare.

"Where the hell have…"

My sentence stopped short as I saw that another man was standing beside him, looking oddly uncomfortable. I soon understood the reason why; Lucas had his hand gripped much too tightly around the man's arm.

My eyes traced over the man's body slowly, taking in how he looked. His eyes had an odd light gray colour and his face – which was as pale as Isaac's and mine – was framed by pitch-black haired that reached to his chin. He wore a dark, long-sleeved shirt matched with a dirty pair of jeans. It was obvious that he was a vampire.

Lucas cleared his throat to get my attention, and my eyes darted back to his face. My eyebrows raised as I waited for an explanation to the appearance of the man standing beside him.

"I found him just outside the town. Probably waiting for another human to kill," Lucas said with a shrug, as if it wasn't really important.

"_He's_ the murderer?" I gasped.

"He's not alone. Unfortunately, he won't tell us where his other friends are."

I glanced back at the man's face. He stared back at me for a second with furious eyes, until he suddenly let out a low growl. Isaac wrapped his arms securely around me as he heard the threatening sound, although the man made no intention to hurt me.

Lucas reacted differently.

"Do _not _growl at her," he snarled and tugged the man a step back.

I stared at Lucas for a second, shocked by his protective reaction. He avoided my gaze by glaring at the other vampire instead.

"Now you will tell me where the others are, or else…"

He finished his threat by fishing up a lighter from his pocket. A low clicking sound was heard at the same time as a flame burst up from the small thing he held in his hand.

The man tried to cringe back from the fire, but Lucas held him still.

"Where. Are. The. Others?" he asked slowly, making every word its own sentence.

The man shook his head stubbornly, not wanting to give up. Lucas brought the flame closer to his face, and he let out a low gasp.

"My brother is in the forest," he panted. "I don't know where. I haven't seen him since yesterday."

Lucas nodded in encouragement. "No one else?"

"Not that I know."

"You mean that only you and your brother killed _ten_ humans?" I asked, too angry to keep quiet.

Neither Lucas, nor the other man gave me any attention.

"Show us the way to where you last saw your brother," Lucas demanded.

The man narrowed his eyes. "Never."

"Fine, then," Lucas sighed.

He brought the lighter to the vampire's body and dropped it there. A second later the man screamed; an ear-piercing sound that sent chills down my spine. His whole body caught fire for a few seconds, until he suddenly crumbled down to the ground and turned into a pile of glowing ash.

Both Isaac and I stared at the scene in front of us with wide eyes and open mouths, until Lucas suddenly clapped his hands together, as if he'd just finished a task.

"Should we get moving?" he asked.

"You just…you just killed him," I stuttered, too shocked to speak normally.

"Well, he wasn't going to help us."

I didn't know what to say, so I just wormed out of Isaac's protective grip and started walking back the way we'd gotten here. As I passed Lucas, he caught my arm so that I had to stop. Isaac caught up with me in an instant and gave Lucas a warning glance.

"I had to kill him," Lucas said to me, ignoring his brother.

"You didn't _have_ to."

"Should I have let him kill more humans? I just saved many people's lives, and yet you're complaining."

I shook off his hand from my arm and grabbed Isaac's hand before I broke into a sprint, tugging Isaac along.

"You could at least have said thanks," Lucas muttered behind us.

_**Maybe not the greatest chapter, but at least it's a long one ;) Now you all know how to make me happy; review (:**_


	3. Proposal

**Proposal**

It was – as usual – a relief to me when we reached the house, where I wouldn't be able to hurt anyone. Strangely, the building seemed much lighter without Lucas' appearance, but I wasn't sure if I just imagined that.

I walked straight to Isaac's room as we had shut the door behind us, and of course Isaac followed silently behind me – not bothering about the fact that I was leading him around like a dog. It was not until I closed the door to his room that he walked over to his bed and sank down there – acting on his own command.

I sat down beside him and leaned back so that I could lay my head in his lap. His finger twined into my hair and carefully started combing through it, making me feel more comfortable than ever.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked after a few seconds.

"Always," he murmured.

I closed my eyes before I spoke again, enjoying the feeling of his fingers brushing through my hair.

"Lucas told me something yesterday, which made me sort of curious…" I started slowly, waiting for his reaction to my words.

"And what was that?"

His voice was still soft and calm, so I continued.

"He said something about the fact that you drank human blood, too, in the beginning."

Isaac's fingers stopped combing, and I bit my lip while I waited a few seconds for him to speak. He didn't.

"Please tell me," I pleaded.

He sighed. "It was just when I'd been _created_. Lucas had already fed on humans, and he tried to talk me into doing it to, but I just couldn't. It was not until I slowly started weakening, that I realized there were no other choices."

His fingers continued to brush through my hair again as I listened silently to his voice.

"I always felt bad afterwards, and I usually went as long as I could without drinking. Finally, Lucas seemed to notice what it was doing to me, and so he decided to help me."

"How long were you like that?" I asked after making sure that he was finished with his short story.

"Only a few months, I think."

I nodded to myself, pleased by the fact that he didn't keep secrets anymore. The comfort I felt inside washed away the surprise after hearing about his past, and I kept my eyes closed and my lips sealed as I thought over what he'd told me.

"I have to ask you something while we're still alone," he said after a minute of just brushing his hand through my hair.

"M-hm?"

He took a deep breath before he spoke, as if he had to steady himself. "I've been thinking, and…"

"And?" I prompted, both curious and confused by the nervous edge in voice.

"I think we should get married," he finished quickly.

I lifted my head from his lap so that I could look at him.

"What?" I gasped.

He met my panicked gaze with surprisingly calm eyes.

"I think we should get married," he repeated, slower than before.

My mouth plopped open, but I was too shocked to do anything but to let it hang open while I stared at him with wide eyes.

"You…you're out of your mind," I finally managed to say. "We're _sixteen_."

"Well, we will always be sixteen. So why wait?"

"I-I don't know what to say…" I stuttered.

I shook my head once to clear it, but my thoughts continued to spin around like in a merry-go-round.

"You could say _yes_," he murmured with a tiny, but beautiful smile on his lips.

I couldn't help but to smile back at him, which made me forget about everything for a few seconds, before it crashed down on me again.

"Is it even legal?" I asked. "I mean, we're not 18 years old."

"We can figure that out. Lucas can help us."

"Oh, I'm sure he'll want to do that," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

Isaac sighed. "Could you please consider it?"

Since I didn't know how to answer him, I got up from the bed and started pacing across the room. My thoughts were still whirling around in my head, making it even harder to think.

After a minute of just walking, I came back to the bed and sat down in front of Isaac, who was watching me with patient eyes.

"Why do you even want to get married?" I asked slowly. "Isn't it enough for us to be…like this?"

"Of course it is," he answered severely. "But I love you, Jessica. Doesn't it even seem like a tiny bit good idea to get married if you love someone?"

I glanced away from his face as I tried to come up with a good answer, and he took the opportunity to continue talking.

"I know you think it's insane, but just think like this; we're _vampires_. We shouldn't even exist. Would getting married make everything so much weirder?"

Again, I remained silent.

"Jessica?" he asked when I didn't respond.

I blinked once to snap out of my shocked state before I looked back at him. His lips were still stretched in a small smile, and his blue eyes glittered beautifully by the sun that shone in on us from the window. There was an unexpected pleading in his eyes that shocked me more than his words.

As I stared into his eyes, I couldn't stop the happiness from exploding inside my chest as I realized that he'd actually proposed to me.

"Okay," I blurted out.

His eyes turned slightly confused.

"I'm saying yes," I explained with a smile lifting up the corners of my mouth.

He nearly jumped forward so that he could pull me into a tight hug, and I let out a little breathless laugh. Before I had time to react, he pressed his lips to mine for a long second – overwhelming me with emotions.

He suddenly let go of me and hopped up from the bed in such a swift move that I fell forward. Luckily, his arm wound around my waist just before my face hit the soft pillows.

As soon as he'd made sure that I'd steadied myself, he once again let go of me and hurried around in the room, as if he was searching for something. I stared curiously at him while he opened a drawer and picked up something small.

In an instant, he was right in front of me again – sitting on the bed with his hand reached towards me. Lying on his palm was a black satin box, which he now opened with his other hand – revealing the most beautiful ring I'd ever seen before. It glittered by the sun that still shone from the window, and the sparkles were a marvellous mixture of dark blue and silver.

"Where did you…_when_ did you…?" I couldn't form a complete sentence, so I ended up with my mouth just hanging open.

"It was Lucas' from the beginning. He gave it to me when…"

He stopped his own sentence short, which instantly made the curiosity flare inside of me.

"When…?" I asked, trying to make him continue.

"It's a long story," he said a little too quickly.

"I like stories," I muttered.

He chuckled once as he heard my sour tone before he changed the subject.

"Do you like it?" he asked, giving the ring a meaningful glance.

I smiled at him before I answered. "I love it."

"Then it's yours," he announced brightly.

Before I could reply, he pulled out the ring from its box and grabbed my hand gently with his other hand. I only watched as he slid the ring carefully into place on my finger, where it fitted perfectly.

I held up my hand to watch the ring shine brightly by the rays of the sun, and from the corner of my eye I could see how a huge smile stretched over Isaac's face. It felt oddly good to see that smile, which was probably due to the fact that I hadn't seen it in so long.

"Hrm, hrm," a familiar voice interrupted.

Both Isaac and I glanced at the doorway where Lucas stood, staring at the ring on my hand with furious eyes. I immediately let my hand fall back to the bed so that the ring wasn't as visible as before.

"I didn't hear you coming," Isaac said in a strained voice.

"What's that ring doing on her finger?" Lucas growled, not bothering about greeting us.

"I gave it to her."

Lucas walked over to where we sat with long and angry strides, and I leaned back from him so that my back hit Isaac's chest. His fingers entwined with mine – a soothing gesture.

"It's _my_ ring," Lucas snarled.

I stared at him with a confused expression on my face, and he met my gaze with furious eyes.

"Give it to me," he ordered, reaching his hand forward so that it was only inches away from me.

I took a deep breath to gain some courage before I spoke. "No."

"Give it," he repeated.

"Knock it off, Lucas," Isaac sighed. "You gave it to me, remember? And you told me to keep it for something special."

Lucas gave his brother an angry glare. "By special, I didn't mean just giving it away."

"I'm not just _giving it away_."

"It seems to me like that's exactly what you're doing."

"Well, maybe if you would listen…" Isaac hinted.

"It doesn't even matter. I want it back. Now."

I refused to show even a single flash of fear in my eyes as I glared stubbornly at Lucas, and he finally moved away his hand from me and turned around to walk out of the room.

"We're getting married," Isaac said quickly.

Lucas skidded to a halt and stood still for a few seconds before he suddenly strode out from the room and shut the door behind him with an ear-splitting smack.

"What was that about?" I asked after a minute of just staring at the door with shocked eyes. I hadn't anticipated such a reaction from him.

"I don't know," Isaac answered quietly.

It was easy to notice the false detection in his voice as he answered, so I turned around to give him a doubting glance.

"Alright," he sighed as I stared at him. "As I told you before, it was his from the beginning. He was supposed to give it to the woman he loved at that time…"

"He was in love?" I asked, shocked by the fact that Lucas had actually had such feelings before.

Isaac chuckled. "You seem very surprised. Not that I blame you, though."

"Well, I never figured that _he_ of all the people…"

I wasn't sure how to end my sentence, so I let my voice trail off into silence as I waited for him to continue talking, which he did after only a few seconds.

"The day before he was about to propose, he found out that there had been an accident…"

"She died?" I gasped.

He stared at me with his eyebrows raised, and it took me a second to realize why.

"Oh, sorry. No more interruptions," I promised.

His lips stretched up in a beautiful smile, before his features turned serious as he continued with the story.

"Lucas was devastated for a really long time. It took him months just to be able to _look_ at the ring again. He gave it to me shortly after that, just to get rid of all the painful memories…"

"Is that why he…"

Isaac put his finger on my lips to silence me.

"You promised not to interrupt," he said with a smile on his lips.

I didn't say anything to prove that I remembered my promise, so he spoke again.

"I assume that it hurt to see the ring on your finger, remembering who was supposed to wear it. At least that's the only thing I can figure out for an explanation to his reaction."

He removed his finger from my lips then, but I waited a little while before I spoke – making sure that he was done talking.

"It doesn't feel right to have it.. I mean, it's actually his ring…"

"He gave it to me, and I gave it to you. It's yours now," Isaac interrupted.

"But…"

He silenced me again, this time by pressing his lips quickly to mine – making me as breathless as usual.

"It's yours now. Forever."

_**REVIEW, people :)**___


	4. Attack

**Attack**

A few days passed without me seeing Lucas; he spent his time locked up in his room, refusing to even see me or Isaac. I knew the reason behind his strange behaviour; the ring was still placed on my finger, although I'd tried to talk to Isaac about it. Although I'd never liked Lucas, I didn't want to be the one upsetting him.

Isaac, though, seemed to pretend that he didn't notice his brother's absence. Everytime I tried to talk him into going up to Lucas' room, he started talking about something else – a distraction that never failed.

It was not until a whole week had passed that I caught a glimpse of Lucas. He was on his way down to the room where I knew the blood was stored, and so I decided to take my chance to talk to him.

"I'll be right back," I mumbled to Isaac who was sitting beside me on the couch in one of the many rooms, before I hurried out to the hallway where I'd seen Lucas.

I could feel Isaac's curious eyes bore into my back as I walked out of the room, but he didn't raise his voice to ask me where I was going.

Just as I'd expected, Lucas soon showed up with a plastic bag in his hand, and I moved to stand in front of the stairs, blocking his escape.

"Look, I know you probably hate me right now, but it's not fair. If someone should be mad, then it should be me. After all _you've_ done…"

He started walking before I was finished, but I kept my feet planted to the floor – refusing to let him past me.

"I can take it off if it bothers you that much," I said while I started pulling the ring off my finger.

He stopped me by leaning closer so that his face was only two inches away from mine, and his breath blew over my face as he nearly shouted out his words.

"It's not the ring. It's _you_."

With that, he pushed me slightly aside and flew up the stairs, leaving me standing in the hallway.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to go?" Isaac asked for the thousand of times.

I sighed quietly. For over half an hour I'd tried to convince him to let me go to town alone. I knew he was right to be so protective, though I'd never admit that to him.

"Yes, I'm sure," I assured him.

"I still think it's better if I come with you, Jessica. Don't you remember what happened last time?"

"I'll keep a safe distance. Besides, no one will be out now."

"Jessica…" he started, but I interrupted him.

"I _have_ to go alone."

"Why?" he asked suspiciously.

"Because…"

I couldn't tell him that the actual reason why I wanted to go was because I wanted him to have a ring, too. Receiving gifts without giving any back was not something I liked.

"It's a secret," I finished.

He raised his eyebrow at me and gave me a doubting look.

"Please," I begged. "I won't take long."

"It's not that I'm concerned about," he sighed. "I'm worried about _you_. What if Zac shows up again?"

I winced at the memory of my last meeting with my ex-boyfriend, but kept my face smooth.

"It's important for me, Isaac."

He sighed again. "Please make sure that you're safe."

"Safe?" I asked while hiding the smugness I felt inside for winning the argument.

"We don't know if there are any other vampires in town now. If you think about how the one Lucas caught reacted, then I think you can understand why I'm worried."

"Right."

He smiled at me; a tiny movement with his lips. I leaned towards him to give him a quick kiss, but he caught a grip on me and pulled me closer. Like the last time he'd done that, my breathing was ragged when he let go of me.

I walked down the porch steps with hesitant steps, while I felt Isaac's eyes bore into my back. I continued walking, hoping that he wouldn't regret the decision to let me go.

"Jessica," he called after me just when I'd walked a few meters away from the house.

I turned around with a begging expression on my face, but he surprised me by holding up a key and a pair of dark sunglasses, which he then threw at me so quickly that they blistered through the air towards me. My hand instinctively flew up and caught the items before they passed by me.

"What's the key for?" I asked, my voice in normal volume – I knew he could hear me.

"The car," he said with a smile on his lips.

"Oh."

After putting on the sunglasses, I turned to the left and walked over to where the glossy, black Mercedes was parked. I unlocked the door to the driver's seat and got inside hesitantly. Not only had I never used this car; I didn't even have a driver's license. But the idea of sitting inside the safety of a car instead of walking around and risking to run into someone was comforting, so I kept silent.

My mum had learned me enough about driving when I'd just turned sixteen to make me feel at least a bit confident as I started the engine and turned the car around slowly, making sure not to hit anything. With a last glance at Isaac – who was still standing in the doorway, watching me with amused eyes – I drove away from the house.

I kept a low speed as I drove through the town, although it wasn't exactly necessary; only one other car passed by me. Still, I was exaggeratedly cautious as I drove around – searching for the only jewelry shop I knew existed in town. As I finally parked the car just outside the shop, I felt strangely exhausted and a tiny voice in my head screamed to stay inside the car.

I pulled in a deep breath before I hesitantly got out of the car after glancing around – making sure that no humans were too close. Of course the streets were deserted; the police's order was still as strict as before. I hurried to the door to the shop, and opened it quickly. Only one person was there inside – the shop-keeper, who was a gray-haired male. I nodded at him and went to stand in front of the disk, where almost 30 rings were layered in rows.

"Looking for anything in particular?" the man asked politely.

"Not really," I mumbled.

I could feel his eyes on me as I examined the many rings, and the irritation started spreading inside of me. I kept my lips sealed, though, and continued to watch the jewelry. None of them could even be compared to the ring I wore on my finger, but I'd known that before I'd entered the shop. My ring was an antique, something special.

"That's a beautiful ring you've got there," the man said as politely as before.

I looked up from my hand to give him a smile.

"Thank you."

He smiled back at me, which made him look twenty years younger than he had to be.

"I recognize it, though. Where did you get it?"

I hesitated before I answered. "My boyfriend gave it to me."

"Where did he get it from then?"

I wasn't sure what to answer, so I just glanced away from him to try to find a distraction.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I'm asking too much," he apologized as he noticed how uncomfortable I looked. "It's just that I could have sworn that I've had exactly that ring in my shop before."

"Really?" I asked.

The curiosity was so strong in my voice that the man chuckled once before he spoke.

"Yes. It was almost 40 years ago, though."

I gaped at him, knowing exactly who had bought the ring in the first place. Still, I felt the need to ask him, to make sure that I was right.

"Do you remember who bought it then?"

"I'll never forget that ring," he said with a meaningful glance at my hand, where the jewelry glittered beautifully in dark blue and silver. "I believe it was a young man who bought it. He kind of looked like you; dark hair, pale skin. And very beautiful."

I glanced down at the rings, giving me an excuse to look away from him again. Although I was flattered, I was definitely embarrassed, too.

"Any of those rings look good?" the man asked, deciding to change the subject.

I studied them closely for a minute, ignoring his stare and the scent of his blood which reached to me from where he stood behind the disk.

There was one ring that caught my eye; a silver one with beautiful carvings in it, looking manlier than the other ones there.

"I'll take that one," I murmured, pointing at the ring with my finger.

"That's a nice one," he said approvingly.

I smiled brightly at him, forgetting that I'd feared to meet any humans. This man was more than just kindly; he was one of the friendliest persons I'd ever met before.

Although I'd never been very rich, I'd never been much of a spender, either. The ring wasn't extremely expensive, so it was easy to give him the amount of money he wanted.

"It was very nice meeting you," I said as a farewell, and turned around to walk out of the shop.

"Wait, wait," he called after me, making me skid to a halt and throw a glance over my shoulder at him.

"Can I please take a look at the ring?" he begged, his eyes turning slightly pleading.

"Uhm…sure," I mumbled and walked back to the disk where he stood.

I pulled the ring off my finger and handed it to him, forgetting about my changed features. As my cold skin touched his, he flinched back slightly.

"Sorry," I muttered.

He pretended not to bother about his own reaction, and started studying the ring carefully. After five minutes of waiting while he examined the ring, I glanced around me – taking in how his little shop was. Everything looked much darker when I had my sunglasses on, so – without thinking – I pulled them off.

"Your…eyes," he gasped.

My whole body stiffened as I realized what I'd done, and I quickly put the glasses back on – hiding my ice blue eyes. The man reached back the ring towards me then, obviously feeling uncomfortable by my strange behaviour. I opened my palm so that he could drop the ring there, preventing him from touching my skin again.

"Is it the ring you had here before?" I asked, my tone a bit too edgy to sound calm.

My distraction worked, though.

"It has to be. The handcraft, the jewelry…everything is exactly the same as the one I had."

"Oh," I said, trying to sound more shocked than I was.

He didn't say anything else, so I glanced out the window as I tried to avoid thinking about how awkward the silence was turning. The sun had almost set now, which surprised me. Had the time really gone that quick?

"I better get going," I said quickly.

The man blinked once as he heard my new tone, but nodded and smiled politely at me.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, young lady. Not many people dare to go out at the moment."

I smiled back at him, not sure what to say. I turned around and walked as normally as I could out the door, feeling the need to sprint home to Isaac again. I hadn't been away from him for weeks, and the separation made my heart ache with longing.

"Make sure you get home safe," the man called after me, before the door closed behind me.

I glanced around before I hurried to the car again and opened the door to it quickly. Just as I'd put on the seatbelt and was about to start the engine, something blurred by me so quickly that I wasn't sure if I'd just imagined it. An involuntary shiver trembled down my spine, and I started the car hastily and drove away in a higher speed than before.

* * *

I walked quickly up the stairs, feeling slightly paranoid. It felt like someone was hiding in every shadow, behind every tree that surrounded me. I shook my head to get rid of those thoughts, and hurried my steps.

I was just about to open the door, when it suddenly flung open so that it almost hit me in the face. Isaac was standing in the doorway with a bewildered expression on his face.

"Wh—" I started, but I was cut off when Isaac nearly jumped at me and pulled me in for an unexpected hug.

"Thank God," he mumbled to himself.

"Uhm…hi to you, too," I replied in a breathless voice.

He held me close to him for a long moment of silence, before he leaned back slightly to look at me. His eyes were unfairly strict as he gazed at me, and my lower lip pouted out in a frown.

"Where have you been?" he asked, his tone matching the rest of his features.

"If I told you it wouldn't be a secret anymore," I replied in a much calmer tone than his.

"I don't care. You have no idea how worried I've been," he growled, sounding utterly dangerous.

"What's with you?" I asked.

He pulled in a deep breath and closed his eyes before he spoke.

"Someone else is out there. A vampire."

"What?"

"It must be the brother to the vampire Lucas killed. He's obviously seeking for revenge…"

"Seeking for revenge?" I interrupted in a shocked tone.

Isaac nodded. "You'll see what I mean."

He grabbed my arm a little tighter than he usually did, and led me into the house and right to the living room, where he skidded to a halt. His eyes were fixed at something in the corner of the room, and so I followed his gaze.

Lucas sat half-hidden by the shadow of the walls, his hand clutched tightly on his shoulder. His expression was beyond furious; his lip was pulled back over his teeth and his eyes were filled with a shockingly strong loathing as he glared at me.

"Wh-what happened to you?" I stuttered, shocked by his fierce expression.

He got to his feet slowly, keeping his hand on his shoulder as he did. When he was finally standing, he stalked over to where I and Isaac stood.

"Where the hell have you been?" he roared.

I gave Isaac a confused glance, but he wasn't looking at me – his eyes were still fixed on Lucas.

"Why are you both acting like this? I was just in town."

"Well, maybe that wasn't the brightest idea when we have another vampire there," Lucas spitted out through his teeth.

I stared at him with a perplexed expression on my face.

"Are you sure there's someone else?" I asked after a long moment of tense silence.

Lucas pulled away his hand from his shoulder before I'd finished my sentence. His whole arm pointed out strangely, as if the bone had jumped out of its socket.

"Yes, I'm sure," he said in the same fierce tone as before.

"A vampire did this to you?" I gasped.

He only looked at me with furious eyes.

"But how?" I asked.

It was Isaac who answered me.

"Vampires can only get hurt by other vampires. No human has the strength to hurt us."

"But how?" I asked again, too shocked to come up with anything else.

"I got worried when you took so long, and so I asked Lucas to come with me to look for you. We were just a mile outside town when someone attacked us…"

"Attacked?" I gasped.

My eyes ran over Isaac's body, making sure that no part of him was hurt.

"I'm fine," he murmured to me when he saw what I was doing. "The vampire left quickly, and since Lucas was hurt I couldn't run after him."

I shuddered at the thought of Isaac hunting the other vampire, but he didn't seem to notice my reaction to his words. I glanced back at Lucas, who was still glaring at me.

"We can fix your arm, right?" I asked, trying to ignore his murderous expression.

"Of course we can," Isaac answered, although the question had been for Lucas. "If he would let us."

I raised my eyebrows as I heard this, but lowered them quickly again as I saw how it seemed to upset Lucas even more.

"I told you I can do it myself," Lucas muttered to Isaac.

"Then do it now," Isaac replied in a more or less bored voice, as if he'd repeated the words many times.

Lucas' eyes didn't leave my face as he gripped his shoulder again, and with a horrifying crack re-jointed his arm. As he removed his hand a second later, his arm looked perfectly normal again.

"How did you…how did you do that?" I stuttered.

His eyes narrowed before he spun around and marched out of the room. I sighed quietly as I stared after him, feeling quite relieved to be freed from his angry glare.

"Jessica?" Isaac asked, his tone almost back to normal.

I turned my gaze to him, and smiled a little as I saw how the anger had drained from his face.

"I didn't mean to overreact," he apologized. "I was just so…worried. I couldn't even imagine the possibility that you'd been hurt…"

His expression turned pained, so I laid my arms around him and leaned my head against his chest.

"It's okay," I mumbled.

He put his arms around me, too, and we stood like that for a little while.

"Will you tell me where you were now?" Isaac suddenly asked, leaning back slightly to look at me.

"Oh, right," I said. I'd all but forgotten about my visit to town.

I kept one arm around him while the other one pulled up the ring I'd bought from my pocket.

"Jessica, you shouldn't have…"

I interrupted him quickly. "You gave me one, so now _I'm_ giving _you_ one."

He sighed, but it was more a sound of happiness than of irritation. I grabbed his hand from my back and placed the silver ring on his finger before he could object.

"It's yours now. Forever," I said, repeating his words.

He flashed a smile at me, which I returned. Lucas' anger didn't matter to me at all as I watched Isaac's marvellous face. But just as the thought of Lucas came up in my head, I remembered my talk with the friendly man.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked.

Isaac's smile vanished as he heard my new tone, and his arm – which still lay around my back – tightened slightly.

"What?" he asked hesitantly.

"I went to the jewelry shop in town. The shop-keeper seemed to recognize this ring," – I held up my hand to show the beautiful ring as I spoke – "and he wanted to examine it. Turns out that it belonged to _him_ 40 years ago."

Isaac's eyebrows furrowed together over his eyes as he heard this, which confused me slightly. I'd already jumped to the conclusion that he'd known where Lucas had gotten it from.

"I didn't know you'd been in this town before," I said slowly, still confused by his reaction.

"I haven't," Isaac said defensibly, as if I'd accused him for anything.

"Well, I have," a voice interrupted from across the room.

I turned to see Lucas standing in the doorway to the room, looking perfectly at ease. His mood swings were much too confusing to me.

"What?" Isaac asked, sounding more upset now. "You've never told me that."

Lucas took a small step into the room, but kept his distance from me and Isaac.

"I can explain it."

_**Wow, this is actually the longest chapter I've ever written :D **_

_**Anyways, you guys are really great but I would really appreciate more reviews for this chapter ;)**_

_**And I know the end sucked, but my inspiration sort of faded there x)**_


	5. Cathy

**Cathy**

_**Before you read this chapter, I just want you to know that Lucas is 26 years old. I mentioned earlier in "Save me" that he was 10 years older than Isaac, but I don't think I was clear enough whether I meant in human or vampire age. **_

_**Anyways, I know this isn't the greatest chapter, but the first chapters of a story are strangely the hardest for me :/ **_

* * *

Both Isaac and I stared at him for a long moment – me with a confused expression on my face, and Isaac looking utterly upset.

Finally, Lucas decided to break the tense silence in the room.

"Can I just ask you one thing first?"

Since his gaze was focused on me, I assumed that the question was meant for me to answer.

"What?" I asked slowly, still confused by his sudden mood swing.

"How did you find out about this?"

"So you weren't eavesdropping on us this time?" I muttered sourly.

Beside me, Isaac stifled a chuckle.

Lucas raised one of his eyebrows at me. "Do I have to remind you that you've done that as many times as I have?"

"At least I…"

"Could you just answer my question?" Lucas interrupted before I could snap at him.

"Fine. I went to the jewelry shop in town. The owner seemed to recognize this ring, so he told me more about it."

I held up my hand in the end to show the glittering ring. Lucas scowled at it for a second before he glanced up at my face again.

"He's got a good memory. It was almost forty years ago."

I folded my arms tightly across my chest and waited silently for him to continue. The anger from before had almost drained from me, which was probably due to the fact that the curiosity had began to grow inside of me.

Isaac tugged gently at one of my arms so that he could lead me towards one of the couches. As we sat down there, Lucas took a few more steps into the room, but still kept his distance.

"I don't know how much Isaac has told you about me," he started. "But I assume you know some about Cathy."

"Cathy…?"

"The woman he loved," Isaac murmured to me.

"Oh," I said, my voice bright with understanding. "I know that she…died in an accident."

A flash of an unfamiliar emotion flickered across Lucas' face, but before I could recognize it, his face was smooth again.

"Is that all you know?" he asked. His tone wasn't fully as composed as his facial expression was.

I hesitated before I spoke. "I know that the ring was supposed to be hers."

Lucas nodded slowly, but didn't say anything else. Since the curiosity was as strong as always inside of me, I opened my mouth to speak again.

"I'd like to know more, though."

Lucas glanced quickly at Isaac, as if he wanted to know whether or not he should tell me. Isaac didn't say anything, so Lucas soon looked back at me and pulled in a deep breath before he started talking.

"Isaac and I lived in Vancouver for a long period of time, and that was where I met Cathy for the first time. She was only nineteen years old, but I couldn't stop myself from falling in love with her. Everything about her was beautiful; her features, her personality…" He made a pause to sigh quietly – a sound that made me feel slightly discommodious. "Her feelings for me were the same, and even when I told her what I was, she didn't stay away from me.

"After knowing her for about a year, I decided to propose to her. I went to every jewelry shop that existed in Vancouver at that time, but there was no ring that really spoke to me. So I began to search further away…and that's how I ended up in this town. I saw the ring," he glanced meaningfully at the ring on my hand – "in the shop-window, and I knew it was the right ring for her.

"I noticed at once that something was wrong when I came home. Everything seemed much duller, as if the absence of her had taken away all the colours…"

He stopped then to take a deep breath. I stared at his face with wide eyes, too stunned to form a single word. The shock of hearing his sad story had washed away the last anger inside of me, and I couldn't help but to feel bad for him as I once again saw the unfamiliar emotion flash across his eyes.

Isaac stared quietly at Lucas, too, although I knew he'd experienced it himself. For once, there was no anger in his eyes as he looked at his brother.

I glanced down at my hand where the ring glittered marvellously, and felt a lump rise in my throat. After a long moment of just watching the ring, I pulled it off and reached it towards Lucas, although he was standing a few meters away.

"It doesn't feel right…I mean, it was supposed to be hers…"

Both Isaac and Lucas blinked in shock.

"But it's yours now, Jessica," Isaac objected as the same time as Lucas said, "You can keep it."

I sighed. "It's _not_ mine. And it doesn't feel right for me to have it when I know it should have belonged to…"

My voice trailed off into silence as Lucas suddenly walked over to where Isaac and I sat and bent down in front of me.

"Keep it," he ordered in a tone that was almost…soft.

I stared blankly at him for a second, before I put the ring back on my finger. He got up quickly then and took a small step back.

"Ehm…I got to go," he mumbled before he half-ran out of the room.

My eyebrows furrowed over my eyes as I stared after him for a second, before I looked back at Isaac. His facial expression was as confused as mine.

"Is it just me, or is he starting to act kind of…weird?" I asked.

A smile appeared on Isaac's lips. "I've seen him sad, I've seen him angry…but I've never seen him like this."

I smiled back at him, but my eyebrows remained crumbled together, making the smile look more like a grimace.

The smile vanished from Isaac's face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I assured him. "It's just…a minute ago he was yelling at me, and now…" I shook my head in confusedness. "I guess I'm just being paranoid, but it feels like he's hiding something."

"I don't think you're being paranoid. But I know Lucas well, and if he's hiding something from us, he'll probably never tell us what it is."

I sat silently for a few seconds before I spoke again.

"What happened to her?"

"To who?"

"Cathy. You only told me there had been an accident."

Isaac glanced away from my face, which immediately made me suspicious. When he looked back at me, his facial expression was a bit _too _composed.

"Did you know…"

"Don't try to change the subject," I interrupted.

He sighed. "I don't think you want to know, Jessica."

"Just tell me."

Another sigh escaped his lips before he spoke in a quiet voice. "She was found murdered."

I opened my mouth to repeat his shocking words, but he put a finger to my lips to silence me. He glanced meaningfully towards the ceiling, reminding me of the fact that Lucas was in easy hearing distance.

"Murdered?" I whispered. "How?"

He hesitated before he answered. "Vampire attack."

His hand covered my mouth before I could say anything, and I gave him an irritated glance. He met my gaze with warning eyes.

"Lucas doesn't like to hear or talk about it," he murmured quietly.

I sat in silence until he removed his hand.

"Can we go outside then?" I asked, my voice in a normal volume.

Isaac hesitated. "I…don't think that would be a good idea right now, Jessica."

"Why not?"

"The other vampire is still out there," he said slowly, as if he was talking to a child.

I scowled at him as I heard his tone, which made him chuckle. I'd forgotten how teasing he could be.

"Do you really think someone would be…stupid enough to come here?" I asked after a few seconds of just glaring at him. "I mean, there are _three_ of us here, Isaac."

"I don't think that will stop him."

I sighed. "We can stay near the house. _If_ the vampire comes, Lucas will be able to help us."

Isaac let out a sigh, too, but got up from the couch. Before I could do the same, he turned around and extended his hand towards me. Although I didn't need his help, I still grabbed his hand and let him pull me up from the couch.

Just before we walked out of the silent house, I threw a quick glance over my shoulder and towards the stairs, strangely expecting Lucas to stand there. I shook my head to get rid of that thought and stepped outside.

* * *

The sky would have been pitch-black if it weren't for the thousand of stars that shone brightly up there, next to the round form of a full moon. I knew that it should have been cold for me to be outside, but I almost felt…warm as I walked around with Isaac's hand in mine.

Instead of following the path towards the point where I knew the forest would begin, Isaac turned us around as soon as we were out the front door and led me towards the backside of the house. The grass swayed by the night breeze, and my eyes immediately fell on the only item out there – a dark-painted wooden bench.

I hurried my steps as we walked towards it, and Isaac chuckled as it was _me_ who led _him_ instead of the other way around. But as soon as we reached the bench, he sat down before I could and pulled me down so that I was sitting in his lap – just like the last time we'd been there.

I sighed in contentment and rested my head against his shoulder. It felt like ages ago since the last time we'd sat there, and I let out a low chuckle as I remembered how different the problems at that time had been compared to the problems we had now.

"Do I get to hear the joke?" Isaac asked with a smile on his lips.

"I was just remembering a few things," I explained.

The smile didn't vanish from his face, which was why I felt a little rude when I brought back the subject from before.

"What really happened to Cathy?"

As I'd predicted, Isaac's expression immediately changed from happy to grave. I gave him a pleading glance to make him answer me.

He sighed before he spoke. "As I told you before, a vampire killed her. Her body had been drained from blood and her neck had been…brutally snapped.

"There was only one explanation at that time; our creator had done it to punish us for not being willing to follow his lead. But now as new vampires are here, I think both Lucas and I are starting to…consider other reasons behind her death."

I stared at his face in wonder, but he didn't meet my gaze – his eyes were staring intently at a point just above my head.

"Was Lucas…nicer at that time?" I asked hesitantly after a few seconds.

Isaac chuckled as he heard my unexpected question, but the humor vanished from his face as he answered me.

"A bit, actually. He's never recovered from the shock of losing her."

"But…why did you move here if this is where he bought her ring?" I asked, feeling both curious and confused.

"We weren't supposed to stay here. We were just passing through, and then…"

"Then…?" I prompted.

A smile played around the corners of his mouth. "Then I saw you."

I raised my eyebrows at him and gave him a doubting glance. His smile widened as he saw the expression on my face.

"You have no idea how beautiful you are, Jessica. Everything about you is beautiful."

His words reminded me very much of how Lucas had explained Cathy, which made me remember what Isaac had been telling me a few seconds ago. Before I could mention it, he started talking again.

"I told Lucas how I felt, and although I know it probably hurt him, he agreed to stay here. I don't think he's been in town more than twice, though. He keeps himself inside the house all the time, refusing to remember his past."

I stared wordlessly at him for a minute, while he looked back at me with serious eyes.

"I'd like to know something," I finally said, breaking the silence.

He raised his eyebrows as a gesture for me to continue.

"You've never told me about your human life. Do you ever…miss it at all?"

He was quiet for a few seconds before he answered, as if he had to think it through. "My human life was nothing but ordinary. I used to miss it before, but now…" He took a pause to smile lightly at me. "I have nothing to miss."

I smiled back at him for a second before I glanced away from his face, feeling slightly…abashed. His smile had a strange effect on me.

His hand suddenly gripped my chin gently and pulled it around so that I had to look at him. The smile he'd worn just a second ago was gone, and his facial expression had turned serious again.

"Do you miss being human?"

I stared into his eyes for a long moment before I answered.

"Not so much, actually. I just…"

"Just…?" he prompted.

"I just miss my mum," I mumbled.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to him in a gentle hug, and I closed my eyes to fight the tears that threatened behind my eyelids. We sat silently for a few minutes until he leaned slightly back to look at me.

Just as he was about to speak, something white blurred past us in an unbelievable speed.

"Did you see…"

Before my sentence was finished, Isaac was standing up again with me cradled in his arms. His eyes darted around worriedly as he hurried back to the front door, but there was no one out there but us. Not anymore.

* * *

Isaac went oddly overprotecting for the following days; I wasn't even allowed to get _near_ the front door. I sort of understood his precaution, though – my fear for the revengeful vampire was strong, too, after seeing what he'd done to Lucas. But after a few days of just staying inside the house, things started to get slightly boring. Of course, trying to talk to Isaac about it was useless.

"I don't want you to get hurt, Jessica," he'd answered when I'd tried to convince him to let me go outside for just a short while. "This vampire is obviously older than us – otherwise he wouldn't have dared to attack Lucas – which means that he's also stronger."

"But…"

He'd silenced me with a look, and that was how that conversation had ended.

Lucas didn't lock himself up at his room anymore, but he didn't speak to us – he just walked around with an absentminded expression on his face. I didn't try to have a conversation with him, though – I felt slightly awkward after hearing the tragic story about Cathy.

When a whole week had passed, my longing for freedom was so strong that I decided to actually do something about it.

At the moment I was staring out the window in the living room, taking in how the sun shone on the damp grass. Isaac just watched me with unreadable eyes – he'd stopped suggesting things to do when he'd realized that all I wanted was to get out, which also was the only thing I wasn't allowed to do.

"Isaac?" I asked carefully and glanced away from the window to look at him.

He scrutinized my face for a second before he answered. "Yes?"

"I'd like to…"

"Jessica, we're staying inside the house," he broke in.

I sighed. "I know. I was going to say that I'd like to try…resting."

He eyed me skeptically. "Resting?"

"Well, you can't call it sleeping, can you?" I pointed out, before I sourly added, "Besides, there's nothing else to do."

He smiled as he heard my tone, and shrugged. "If that's what you want."

I grabbed his hand quickly – feeling energetic now that I knew how I would be able to be outside again - to tug him along, and he gave me a confused glance as he noticed my enthusiasm. I ignored it and lead him up to his room.

As we entered his bedroom, Isaac pulled his hand free so that he could close the door behind us. I continued forward and plopped down on the large bed, while he lay down beside me. I snuggled closer to him then and tried to calm myself so that I wouldn't give myself away, and he laid his arm protectively around me.

"Am I just supposed to…close my eyes?" I asked.

"Yes," he murmured. "It's similar to sleeping, only that there are no dreams…or nightmares. Only darkness."

"Oh," I mumbled.

I closed my eyes and lay quietly for a long moment, while I felt how Isaac's body slowly relaxed. After a few minutes I opened my eyes carefully again and peeked at his face. He looked just like he'd done the first time he'd stayed the night at my house; his eyes were closed and his facial expression was so peaceful that I couldn't stop myself from just staring at him for a minute.

I slowly started squirming free from his grip, keeping my eyes on his face in case he would wake up and notice what I was doing. He never did. I slid off the bed and tip-toed towards the window, and threw a quick glance over my shoulder before I opened it. The air swirled into the room, and I bit my lip as I waited to see if it had woke him up.

Since his eyes didn't re-open, I carefully climbed onto the window-frame and looked down at the ground beneath me. A wave of something similar to nausea rolled through my body as I noticed how high up I was, but I took a deep breath and lifted my foot to take a step out…and I was suddenly falling through the air with enormous speed. Before I had any chance to start panicking, my feet landed softly to the ground.

A smug smile appeared on my lips as I glanced around me to make sure that I was alone, before I walked over to the dark-painted wooden bench and sat down there. I curled up my legs so that I could wrap my arms around them, and leaned my chin on top of my knees. The sun was bright on the sky, but it didn't warm my skin like it had done when I'd been human. Just the feeling of freedom was comfortable enough for me to be content.

Just as I started to feel like nothing could bother me – not even the thought of how Isaac would react when he woke up – Lucas' familiar voice broke through the peaceful silence.

"Jessica?"


	6. Murderer

**_I'm so, so, so sorry for taking so long to update. There's been quite a lot going on nowadays, and it was a huge shock to me when I realized that like two whole weeks had passed since I'd updated the story. SORRY! _**

**_And I know the chapter was kind of...lame, but I really wanted to update the story. I can promise you, though, that I will improve myself till next chapter ;)_**

I glanced up at the sound of his voice. He was standing a few feet away, watching me with a startled expression on his face; he had obviously not expected me to be here. The hostility he usually showed towards me was gone from his eyes, which confused me.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked when I didn't say anything. "Where's Isaac?"

"He's up in his room," I mumbled, avoiding answering his first question.

"And why aren't you with him?"

I decided not to answer his question, so I pursed my lips and only stared at him. He raised his eyebrow at me when he saw the stubborn expression on my face as I refused to speak.

"Does he know that you're here?"

I shrugged, as if it wasn't very important, which made Lucas sigh.

"You know you shouldn't be out here…"

"Not you, too," I groaned. "Look, I just want a few minutes of fresh air. Is that so unbelievable?"

"Well, sneaking out of Isaac's room is sort of…"

"How did you know that?" I interrupted, too stunned to remember playing innocent.

Lucas glanced meaningfully up at the window to Isaac's room, which was still open – declaring my escape.

"Dang," I muttered.

A tiny smile began to tug at the corners of Lucas' lips, which kind of took me off guard. I stared at him with a stunned expression on my face, while the silence between us grew slightly awkward.

"What are you doing out here then?" I finally asked.

He shrugged with a nonchalant expression on his face.

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Don't _you_ know that you shouldn't be out here?"

"I can take care of myself," he replied in a colder tone than before. The smile had vanished from his lips as quickly as it had appeared.

"And you don't think _I_ can?" I muttered.

He snorted, which made the anger flare up inside of me.

"I'm quite sure it was _you_ who got attacked by a vampire. Not me."

His eyes turned as hostile as they usually were, and I glanced away from his face to avoid meeting his loathing gaze. He sighed quietly then, but I kept my gaze locked on the sky instead of looking back at him. I could clearly hear his light footsteps as he walked over to where I sat, but it was still a surprise to me when he was suddenly leaning over me and blocking my view.

I glanced down at my hands to ignore him. Since I wasn't looking at him, it was a huge surprise to me when his finger suddenly touched my chin and tilted my head up. I met his gaze for a second, before the fury spread inside of me.

"Don't touch me," I hissed at him.

His hand disappeared from my chin, and his eyes turned apologizing while I glared back at him. After a minute, he sighed and sat down beside me. I moved to sit at the farthest end of bench – as far away from him as possible.

"Jessica…" he began, but I interrupted him.

"Look, I feel bad for you for what happened to…Cathy. But that doesn't mean that I'm going to forgive you for everything you've done to _me_."

"Are you going to hold this grudge against me forever then?"

"Well, I…"

Before I could come up with words to finish my sentence, a shout was suddenly heard – making both me and Lucas jump.

"Jessica!"

Isaac's voice was a mixture of worry and anger, and I felt a wave of nervousness roll through me.

"Uh-oh," I mumbled to myself.

I forced myself to look up at the window, where Isaac now stood, glaring back at me. After only a second, he wrenched himself upon the window-frame and jumped out more gracefully than I had. As soon as his feet had landed to the ground, he blurted over to where I sat, and I cringed back as I waited for his reaction. He surprised me by lifting me up from the bench and pressing me to his chest in a tight hug. I threw a quick glance over my shoulder at Lucas, but he wasn't looking back; he was studiously ignoring us by watching the sky.

Since I wasn't looking at Isaac anymore, it was a surprise to me when his lips suddenly met mine with more force than usual – stunning me. His lips moved with mine for a long minute, before he broke the intense kiss by leaning back and letting go of me slightly so that I could put my feet down on the bench instead of having him lifting me. He kept his arms around me, though.

As I glanced at his face, his eyes were filled with an angry blaze, which confused me. Just a second ago, he'd been kissing me.

"Do you have any idea how…" he started, sounding only furious now.

I glanced at Lucas again to see how he had reacted, but he wasn't sitting on the bench anymore – he had disappeared as silently as a ghost. Isaac's hand suddenly cupped my chin and pulled it around so that my eyes would meet his again.

"Jessica, you don't know how worried I got when I woke up and you were gone. I thought something had happened to you…"

"I'm not going to say I'm sorry," I interrupted him. "You know that keeping me inside the house forever won't help a thing."

A flash of anger flickered across his face.

"Sneaking out the _window_ won't help, either."

"But you wouldn't let me go outside."

"Because I was trying to protect you."

"I don't need to be protected."

His hands balled up in fists, which I could feel since his arms were still wound around me. I sighed then, and leaned my head against his shoulder. He stood tensely for a few seconds, before he sighed, too, and relaxed.

"I just don't want you to get hurt," he murmured. "You mean everything to me."

Standing like that with his arms around me, I couldn't stop myself from realizing that he was right. After all, he meant everything to me, too.

* * *

"You actually thought that the vampire had come inside the house, fetched me and…jumped out the window?" I asked, letting the humor pour into my voice.

At the moment, Isaac and I were sitting in the living room, and I was – as usual – lying with my head in his lap while his fingers slowly brushed through my hair. Lucas hadn't showed up after vanishing from the back yard, and neither of us had any idea of where he'd gone.

"I guess I'm starting to get paranoid," Isaac murmured, a smile in his voice.

I laughed lightly. "Well, that makes two of us."

He chuckled, but his laughter was cut off as we both heard the front door slam. Before I could pull myself up in a sitting position, Lucas walked into the room and plopped down on the couch across the room, looking perfectly at ease. I raised my eyebrows at him, waiting for an explanation to his sudden arrival.

Isaac reacted differently.

"What have you done?" he growled at the same time as his fingers stopped combing through my hair.

I lifted my head from his lap to get a better look at Lucas, and Isaac burst up from the couch and stalked over to where his brother sat. I examined Lucas carefully for a second, tracing my eyes over him to see what had infuriated Isaac. Finally, my eyes caught sight of a small but obvious stain of blood on the light sweater he was wearing. His green eyes looked much warmer, too, and I gasped in shock as I realized what that meant.

"Did you kill someone?" I hissed. I got up from the couch as well and marched over to stand beside Isaac.

Lucas sighed. "Just calm down. Both of you."

"Calm down?" Isaac growled, leaning over Lucas with a furious expression on his face. "You tell me what you've done now, or…" He didn't bother about finishing his threat.

"Or…?" Lucas prompted.

I laid my hand on Isaac's shoulder, both as a restraint and as a soothing gesture. I didn't like the picture of the two of them fighting, not only because I knew Lucas would be stronger, but also because it brought back memories from the night when Lucas had bit me. The image of Isaac struggling to keep Lucas down made me shudder.

Isaac relaxed the tiniest bit as I touched him, and he leaned back again. His eyes were still fiercely cold, though, as he waited for an explanation from his brother.

"Fine," Lucas sighed; he'd realized that Isaac wouldn't give up. "I did kill someone," – he put his hands in front of him to stop us from screaming at him - "but I can explain it."

I crossed my arms across my chest. "Go ahead then."

Isaac only glared at him.

Another sigh escaped Lucas' lips before he spoke. "The owner of the jewelry shop, he…knew too much. He remembered how I looked. Now, what if I happened to run into him one day? He would realize that something wasn't right, and…"

"You…you killed that man?" I gasped. My head swirled as I thought about what had happened to the nice man I'd talked to a few days ago.

"I _had_ to. Don't you understand what could have happened if he'd seen me one day?"

"That doesn't give you the right to kill an innocent man," I hissed at him.

"Speak for yourself," Lucas replied coldly.

His reminder of what I'd done a few weeks ago made me feel cold inside for a second, before the anger came back to me. I took a step closer to him so that I towered over him – something I could only do while he was sitting.

"I didn't do that on purpose," I spat at him.

"You still killed him. And that makes you…"

"Enough, Lucas," Isaac interrupted. "You don't have to bring up the past. What's done is done."

Lucas glared at both of us for a long second before he rose from the couch, which made both me and Isaac stagger back a few steps to avoid colliding with him. As he was standing, it was more _he_ towering over _me_ instead of the other way around – a fact that made me feel oddly weak. Lucas gave us a last glance before he started walking out of the room and towards the stairs, obviously heading to his room.

Isaac grabbed his arm before he could take more than a few steps.

"Where do you think you're going?" he demanded, making it sound like he was the older one of them.

"I'm not going to stand here and listen to your yelling."

"Yes, you are," Isaac hissed.

Lucas shook off the hand on his arm before he spoke. "What's done is done, right?"¨

He turned around to walk out of the room, but this time it was my turn to grab a hold of his arm. His whole body froze at the exact moment as my fingers touched him, and he skidded to a halt.

"I know that I've…killed someone, too," I started in a calmer voice than before, ignoring his odd reaction. "But that has nothing to do with what you've just done. You've had forty years of learning how to control the thirst, and yet you still kill innocent people…"

"I told you I don't want a lecture," he interrupted.

He shook off my hand roughly and walked out of the room with quick strides, while Isaac and I stared after him.

* * *

The suns last rays shone in on the bed in Isaac's room as we sat there – me with the newspaper of the day in my hands, and Isaac just staring absentmindedly at the ring on my finger. None of us had really talked about the engagement, but I was pretty convinced that it was because of the stress that seemed to always hang like a cloud in the room. Having a dangerous vampire in town, threatening the citizens, made it hard to think about anything else.

Since I hadn't read or heard anything about what was going on in town for a week, I was more than curious about what was going on, which was the reason why I now read the front page of the newspaper I held in my hands.

**_Number of victims slowing down_**

_Since Monday, the number of victims has decreased drastically. Comparing to last week, when over 10 persons were found murdered, it's been a few calm days. The police are not quite sure what's going on yet, but their order about staying inside is still strict. _

_Only two persons have been found this week – an announcement that will hopefully ease some of the worry inside of everyone. One of them was the well-known and beloved owner of the towns old jewelry shop, Charlie Dawson. As a gesture of love, we are holding a memorial for him and for all the other people that has become victims for this cruelty at the graveyard tonight…_

Tears of sadness welled up in my eyes, making it hard for me to read the rest of the article, and Isaac began to soothingly stroke my back. I turned around to look at him, and he cradled my face carefully with his hands. I stared at his beautiful face for a long moment while he looked back with worried eyes, taking in how the tears stroke down my cheeks.

"I want to go to the memorial," I finally mumbled.

A new emotion flickered over Isaac's face. "I'm not quite sure if that's a good idea right now, Jessica."

"Why not?"

"Don't you remember how it was when Zac got too close to you?"

I couldn't come up with a good answer to that.

"Think about that feeling," he continued. "Only that there are more than a hundred people there."

Only the thought of that made my throat ache, but I ignored it.

"I know I'll be able to control myself. It worked when I was in town the last time."

Isaac sighed. "I still don't think it's a good idea."

My lower lip pouted out in a frown, making me look like a stubborn five-year-old. A smile appeared on Isaac's lips as he saw my facial expression, and he put his finger lightly to my pouting lip.

"Please, can we go?" I said, or rather mumbled – his finger made it hard for me to speak normally.

The smile didn't vanish from his lips as his eyes bored into mine for a long second. My eyelashes were still wet from before, but aside from that I probably looked quite funny with my lip still pouting out childishly.

"Fine," he finally said, still smiling at the expression on my face.

I smiled back at him for a second, before I leaned forward to press my lips against his. Just as I was about to touch him, the door to the room flew open and Lucas marched in with a livid expression on his face.

"Have you ever heard about knocking?" I hissed at him while I leaned back from Isaac again.

He ignored me and focused his gaze on his brother instead.

"You're not going anywhere," he said fiercely.

"How did you know about that?" I asked. "You weren't eaves…"

"We are actually going somewhere," Isaac broke in before I could snap at Lucas. "And you don't have the right to tell me what to do."

As soon as his words were out, he grabbed my hand and got up from the bed – tugging me along. Lucas made no intention to stop us as we passed him and walked out of the room, but I could easily hear how he followed behind us. Just as I was about to open the front door, Isaac turned around to look at Lucas.

"Why are you following us?" he asked, sounding annoyed.

"I'm coming with you," Lucas replied more calmly.

"No, you're not," I muttered.

He turned his gaze to me. "Yes, I am. There's still another vampire out there, and you won't stand a chance against him."

"You're right," Isaac sighed before I could say anything else. "But you will keep a distance from the people."

Lucas raised his eyebrow. "Why don't you say that to her?"

Isaac turned around without any answer, and put his arm around my shoulder before we walked out into the evening.


	7. Dark

**_Again, I'm so sorry for taking so long to update. And I can assure you that the chapters will get more interesting soon, and they will absolutely exclude the most annoying Zac xD_**

**_I just wanted to write a short answer to "killer_reader^_^"; Wow, thanks for the amazing review :D I really appreciate the tip you gave me, but I just have to point out that first of all, I'm from Sweden and second, I'm only 14 years old x) So, I apologize if my English isn't so great ;)_**

**_Anyways, here's the next chapter, and I promise that it won't take so long for me to update the story again._**

* * *

The sun had finally set, but the moon and the stars were nowhere to be seen on the sky, which made the night pitch-black. If it hadn't been for the fact that Isaac's arm was still wound protectively around me and that Lucas ran close behind me, I would have felt frightened by the darkness – especially now that I knew who could be out there.

After running – all three of us had agreed on not taking the car to cause less of attention – for a few minutes, the glowing light of candles and other sorts of outdoor lamps reached us, and the excruciating scent of blood overwhelmed me so powerfully that I couldn't stop myself from flinching. Isaac seemed to notice my reaction, because his arm tightened slightly around me before he slowed down and turned us around so that we were facing Lucas.

"You can stay here," Isaac ordered in a low but strict tone. "I'll be able to hear if anything happens."

Lucas rolled his eyes, but skidded to a halt. Isaac spun around again, and I leaned closer to him as we continued walking; I was well aware of how dangerous I actually was while being so close to the humans. After another minute of walking, I was finally able to see the first persons, and I suddenly hurried my steps – eager to see the citizens of the town I'd lived in since I was born. The fear of hurting anyone abruptly eased from my chest and a tiny smile appeared on my lips.

Isaac kept walking in a normal pace, though, which stopped me from half-running towards the crowd.

"Jessica," he murmured warningly as he noticed my reaction. "These people haven't seen you for weeks. They might get suspicious now, considering the fact that you look totally different."

"I know, but…"

"Your eyes aren't even shielded. So you'll have to be discrete – we don't want anyone to get suspicious."

I hadn't even thought about that until now, which made the panic burst up inside of me.

"What am I supposed to say if someone notices my eyes?" I asked in a voice that was nearly a hiss. "What if anyone…"

Isaac pulled us both to a stop before my panicked sentence was finished, and he put his hands on my shoulders to keep me in place. His ice blue eyes locked with mine as he leaned closer so that his face was only a few inches away from mine.

"Calm down," he said in a slow tone, not breaking our eye contact. "The only thing you have to think about is that you should keep your eyes on the ground. That way you won't meet anyone's gaze, and there will be no confusion or suspicion."

I inhaled deeply to calm myself, only to regret it a second later when all the scents snuck into my nose – making me flinch again. Isaac's hands tightened slightly around my shoulders then to make me focus.

"You can make this, Jessica. I know you can."

I let a rush of air burst out of my mouth, before I nodded to assure him that I was no longer panicked, although that wasn't entirely true.

Isaac flashed a smile at me, which immediately had me distracted from my worries, and I let the corners of my mouth pull up slightly. Before I could even anticipate it, he pressed his lips softly against mine, and I moved closer to him without even thinking about it. My arms locked around his neck to keep him close to me, but since he was much stronger than me, it was still easy for him to pull away after a few seconds.

"We don't want to be late," he said, still smiling.

He let go of my shoulders, but a second later he grabbed one of my hands tightly and started walking. My steps weren't as eager as before, but I kept myself going anyway.

Not many paid either me or Isaac any attention as we joined the crowd of people, and I almost sighed in relief. The last thing I wanted them to think about right now was my changed features.

Almost everyone in town was there, which was more than a hundred people; my hometown wasn't one of the largest. Everyone stood in a half circle, facing a podium where a person that I believed was the spokesman stood – preparing a microphone to speak in. Isaac tugged me along to the farthest side of the crowd, where no one would have any excuse to mistakenly touch my cold skin. I kept myself close to Isaac while I tried to ignore the scent of blood that wanted to fill my nose.

There was the casual sound of small conversations here and there, but when the spokesman tapped lightly against the microphone, the people's voices immediately trailed off into silence.

"As far as anyone can recall, there has never been such a problem as the one we have today," the man began in a voice that sounded twice as loud in the microphone. "Over 12 innocent citizens of this town has become victims to this cruelty, and it is with great sadness that we say goodbye to them here tonight…"

I was listening so intently to the spokesman's words, that I almost flinched as someone in the audience coughed loudly. Before I could turn my attention back to the man up on the podium, Isaac leaned down so that his lips were at my ear, and his breath tickled my neck as he spoke in such a low tone that I was the only one who could hear.

"Lucas wants me to come. Will you be alright for a minute?"

I nodded, although I felt slightly uneasy by his words. He kissed the side of my head softly before he let go of me and walked back the way we'd gotten here. I glanced over my shoulder just in time to see his shape disappear into the darkness, and then looked back at the spokesman. After a minute of just standing still, the worry starting spreading inside of me. What if the vampire had shown up again to challenge either Lucas or Isaac?

My eyes darted around for a few seconds, and just as I was about to turn around and find Isaac, another familiar gaze locked with mine. Zac's face was a mixture of anger and suspicion as he stared at me, and I immediately spun around to shield my ice blue eyes. I started walking in a pace that was a bit too fast to make me look casual, and the crowd of humans were soon so far behind me that my nose was freed from all the scents.

Another set of footsteps was suddenly audible behind me, and I bit my lip to stop myself from letting out an irritated sigh.

"Jessica!" a voice called after me.

I hurried my steps even more, pretending that I hadn't heard anything.

"Jess, stop right now," Zac called again, sounding more furious this time.

His footsteps suddenly quickened and I could easily hear his breath coming out faster and harsher than before; he had started to run. I kept walking, though, deliberating whether or not to start running, too.

It didn't take long for him to catch up with me, which was probably due to the fact that my own footsteps slowed down – I didn't want to run away from him and leave him both worried and angry. I could almost feel his breath on my neck just a second before his hand wrapped around my arm, making me pull to a stop.

"What the…" he started as he felt my cold skin, and I immediately ripped my arm out of his grip – feeling a tiny bit smug that I was for once the strongest.

"What do you want, Zac?" I asked to stop him from mentioning my skin's temperature.

"Can we just have one single conversation without having you saying those words?" he muttered.

I ignored his comment and folded my arms tightly across my chest, waiting for him to continue. He stared at my face for a few seconds before he spoke, while I glared back with an irritated expression on my face.

"Don't wave me off like you did last week when I mentioned this," he started, while I kept glaring at him. "But there's something wrong, Jess. I can see it."

I rolled my eyes to try to look casual, although the panic was on fire inside of me. "You're being ridiculous."

"Am I? 'Cause I can sure as hell remember that you're eyes were dark blue before, and they're not now. And you're skin…"

"Contacts," I blurted out before he could finish his accusation.

"What?" he asked, confused by my sudden interruption.

"I'm wearing contacts," I explained.

His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why would you wear eye contacts?"

I shrugged nonchalantly, and he stared at me for a few seconds before he proceeded with his previous subject.

"That's just a small part of the change. Your skin for example is…freezing cold, and paler than I've ever seen it."

I didn't have any good excuse for that, so I decided to just change the topic.

"I should probably get going now," I mumbled. "I need to find Isaac."

He was just about to say something – and by the look on his face it was probably not something pleasant – but I spun around and started walking again while ignoring the fact that I was leaving him alone in the dark forest.

"What's with you?" he shouted after me as I hurried away from him. "I don't even recognize you anymore."

I let out a frustrated growl that was way too low for his ears to be able to catch, before I turned my head slightly to shout back to him.

"Go home, Zac. There's still a—"

My sentence stopped short as my head suddenly banged into someone's hard chest, and a pair of hands grabbed my arms to make me take a step back. The fear flared up inside of me in an instant, and I turned my head around quickly to see who I'd collided into. A relived sigh escaped my lips as I saw that it was only Lucas, and my body relaxed slightly.

"Watch your step," he said in a voice that wasn't as irritated as I'd expected it to be.

"Sorry," I muttered before I shook off his hands that were still wrapped around my arms.

He was quiet for a few seconds, as if he wasn't sure what to reply, before he changed the subject. "Where's Isaac?"

"Isn't he with you?" I asked, feeling slightly confused.

"No," he said slowly. "He just left to go back to you."

"I haven't seen him."

"Who were you talking to then?" he asked, sounding as confused as me now.

I hesitated before I spoke. "My…friend Zac."

Lucas' facial expression hardened as he heard the name, which only confused me even more.

"Do you know anything about him?" I asked.

"I know it's hard to notice sometimes, but Isaac is my brother. We do speak to each other."

I gasped quietly. "He told you about _Zac_?"

"Well, he kind of told me about what happened when that boy broke up with you."

The embarrassment and anger made me wish that there was a hole in the mark for me to fall into, and I glanced away from Lucas' green eyes. From the corner of my eye, I saw how a tiny smile appeared on his lips.

"You don't have to be embarrassed," he said, the smile even audible in his voice.

His words didn't make me feel any better, and I muttered something incoherently before I spun around to head back towards the gathering of people. Before I could take more than two steps, Lucas' hand gripped my wrist tightly and pulled me to a stop.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm going to find Isaac," I replied shortly before I tried to get free from him.

He didn't seem to notice my attempt to break free – he just started walking towards the direction I'd been heading towards, tugging me along.

"You can let go of me," I muttered after a few seconds, feeling a bit uneasy by the way his hand gripped around my wrist.

He continued walking without letting go of my arm, and I let out a frustrated sigh. He didn't say anything as we walked through the silent forest, but it sort of felt like he _wanted_ to say something but kept it back. I peeked at his face for a few seconds, trying to read his expression. His face was almost a bit _too_ smooth.

Soon enough, we got back to the place where the humans still were gathered, and my eyes immediately darted around – searching for Isaac. I didn't need more than two seconds to realize that he wasn't there, his beauty standing out from the crowd like I knew it would have.

Lucas obviously realized that, too.

"Where can he be?" he muttered to himself, worry clouding his voice – something I'd never heard before.

"He's got to be around here somewhere," I mumbled to him, although I knew the question hadn't been meant for me to answer.

He sighed, taking out his frustration at me. "I know that."

I glanced around me again, desperately hoping to find Isaac, which was why I escaped noticing how the expression on Lucas' face changed. It wasn't until I noticed how his body leaned slightly closer to the crowd of humans, that my eyes darted back to his face. His upper lip was curled back slightly, and his green eyes glinted slightly with thirst; an expression that I recognized from before.

"Lucas, let's go," I mumbled quietly while I tried to make him take a step back.

He didn't pay me the slightest attention; he only kept moving closer to the humans that were gathered in small groups now, unconsciously tugging me along. Since I knew talking to him wouldn't stop him, I could only come up with another way to make him snap out of his thirst.

I hesitantly lifted my hand up to his face, and placed it against his cheek – trying to make him look at me. The second my fingers touched his skin, his eyes snapped back to my face, and realization washed over his face as he understood what I was doing. I immediately let my hand drop back to my side and turned around to start walking away from the humans. Lucas followed after me quickly, clearly wanting to get away from the crowd.

After walking for just a minute, another shape suddenly became visible in the darkness, and I smiled in relief as I recognized Isaac's features. Lucas' hand immediately disappeared from my wrist, which made it easier for me to nearly run into Isaac's waiting arms; he seemed just as relieved to see me as I was to see him. He held me close to him for a long moment until Lucas cleared his throat, obviously feeling awkward.

"Where have you been?" I asked as we'd both leaned away slightly from each other to make Lucas feel more comfortable.

"I was looking for you," he answered while he stroke my cheek with the tip of his forefinger. "You weren't at the memorial when I came back."

I was just about to speak when the sound of a pair of feet brushing over the ground became audible, and Isaac immediately spun me around so that he was standing in front of me and thereby shielding me from whomever was approaching. Lucas blurted over to where we stood and placed himself at Isaac's side, blocking my view even further.

Before anyone could get more worked up or panicked, the sound of a heartbeat was heard, too, and both Isaac and Lucas relaxed from their tense poses. They didn't move, though, so I went to stand on Isaac's other side. His arm wound around my shoulders, but I wasn't sure if it was to protect me or to just hold me closer.

Zac's shape was soon visible, and I couldn't stop myself from letting out an irritated sigh.

Isaac's arm fell off my shoulder as I took a step forward, but he kept himself in place, obviously not considering Zac as a threat.

"I thought I told you to go home," I said sharply.

Zac's voice sounded pained as he replied. "I know, but I fell on my way back. My leg…"

It was just then that I caught the recognizable scent of fresh blood in the air, and my throat began aching at once. I glanced down at Zac's knee, where there was a hole in his jeans, revealing a thick stripe of blood on his light skin.

But for once, I wasn't the one who needed to be held back.

"Lucas, no!" I shouted as I – from the corner of my eye - saw how Isaac's brother crouched forward in preparation to lounge at Zac.

He shifted his gaze to my face for a second, which was all Isaac needed to be able to jump at him – causing them both to fall to the ground – and lock his arms around him. I threw a quick glance at Zac, who was watching all three of us with eyes wide with shock.

"Go," I urged in a harsh voice. "Now."

He blinked once before he immediately turned around and ran into the dark forest. I didn't have time to look after him as he hurried away from us; I quickly spun around and got down on my knees to help Isaac with holding Lucas down. He barely struggled – the scent of Zac's blood had vanished the second he'd walked away.

"Get off me, Isaac," Lucas tried to growl, but his words came out muffled since his face was practically pressed against the damp earth beneath us.

Isaac ignored him, and glanced up at my face with glittering eyes.

"You didn't even need my help to control yourself," he said, while a smile enlightened his already beautiful face.

I half-smiled back, feeling slightly flustered by the amazement in his voice.

An irritated grunt brought back my attention to Lucas, and I pursed my lips as I watched the back of his head. He obviously didn't enjoy listening to Isaac's encouragement.

"You should be glad that you didn't hurt Zac," I muttered under my breath.

"I heard that," Lucas mumbled against the ground.

Isaac let out a low chuckle – a reaction to my words – before he gracefully got off Lucas' back and up on his feet. Lucas lay still for a few seconds, making sure that he was allowed to get up, too, before he lifted his head from the dirty ground.

"You didn't have to mash my face," he muttered to his little brother, before he rose to his feet.

"Was I just going to let you attack that innocent human then?" Isaac replied coldly.

"Innocent," Lucas scoffed.

His word brought back the memories of my earlier conversation with him, and I turned to give Isaac a dark look. He met my gaze with confused eyes.

"When were you going to tell me that you've told Lucas _everything_ about me?" I asked, trying to keep my voice normal.

The understanding was suddenly bright in Isaac's eyes. "Oh."

"Yeah," I muttered.

"Jessica, it's not that big of a deal. He tells me everything, and vice versa."

I let out a frustrated sigh. "You didn't have to tell him about me. I don't want him to know everything…"

"I'm standing right here," Lucas pointed out, cutting me off.

I turned my gaze to him for a second and spoke in a cold voice. "I know."

He glared at me for a few seconds, before he abruptly spun around and started walking in the direction to the house.

"Where are you going?" Isaac asked in a normal tone; of course Lucas could hear him without difficulty.

Lucas shot a glance at us over his shoulder. "I'm heading back to the house before that _innocent_," – his voice turned sarcastic as he said the word – "boy can tell anyone about what just happened here."

"He wouldn't do…"

Isaac interrupted me by grabbing my arm gently, and I glanced up at his face in surprise.

"Lucas is right. We don't want take any risks."

As soon as his words were out, he started walking after Lucas, tugging me along. I didn't bother to do anything but follow him; the feeling of his hand around me was good enough for me to feel content, although I didn't feel like getting back to the house yet. But still, I couldn't really stop an uneasy feeling from spreading inside of me as I thought over Lucas' words about Zac. What if he actually told someone about how Lucas had reacted? Would anyone actually jump to the conclusion that we weren't…human? That we actually had something to do with the murders this past few weeks?

All I knew was that we would have to leave my hometown, and that would have to be soon.


	8. Tears

**Tears**

"I can't believe this," Isaac hissed at the newspaper in his hands.

He was sitting cross-legged on the master-sized bed in his room, staring intently at the front page of today's newspaper, while I absentmindedly looked out the window. Two whole days had already passed since we'd been to the memorial, but we still hadn't made any plans on leaving this town. The reason why was actually…me. Although I'd been so sure that leaving would be the best right now, I'd soon realized that this town wasn't safe as long as the other revengeful vampire was there, killing all the innocent humans.

I glanced away from the window and its peaceful view to give Isaac a confused look.

"What's wrong?"

He let out a frustrated growl – which was meant for the newspaper and not for me – before he answered. "The numbers of victims have gone up again. Since yesterday, four people have been found."

I gaped at him, too shocked to find any words. He glanced up from the newspaper then and before I could anticipate it, the newspaper was lying on the bed and he was standing right in front of me, his hands on my shoulders.

"It's going to be fine," he murmured.

I found it rather difficult to believe in his words, which he seemed to realize, because he spoke again in a soothing tone.

"We'll take care of this, Jessica."

I shook my head at him. "We can't do anything. That vampire is too strong for us to be able to…kill."

A new expression flashed across Isaac's face before he spoke. "When I say 'we', I mean Lucas and I."

"That's not…"

"Jessica, I'm not going to put you in any danger."

"But I can't just stay behind while you risk your lives," I said with a sigh. "Don't you…"

Again, he interrupted me. "We'll be fine. And you'll stay here while we take care of that other vampire."

My lower lip pouted out in a forlorn frown and my eyes dropped down from his face, making my eyelashes cast faint shadows over my cheekbones. Isaac put his finger gently to my chin and tilted my head up so that I would meet his gaze.

"Don't worry," he murmured soothingly. "Lucas and I will be fine."

"I'm only worried about you," I muttered.

His lips stretched up in a tiny, but beautiful smile in reaction to my words, but for once I couldn't do anything but to look back at him with the same expression on my face as before. He moved his finger from my chin to the corner of my mouth and unsuccessfully tried to lift it up in a smile.

"Jessica, I promise you that I will be fine," he said after giving up with his attempt to make me smile.

My lip was still pouted out in a frown as I spoke, which made the words come out mumbled. "You can't know that."

A light sigh escaped him, but his lips remained stretched up slightly – making it hard for me to think straight. I glanced away from him again – mostly to keep my thoughts in order – and caught eye of a beautiful picture with a frame made of silver that hung on the wall just beside the door, and a wicked thought flashed across my mind.

My eyes darted back to Isaac's face. "Isn't it true that silver hurt vampires?"

"What?" he asked, confusion clouding both his eyes and his voice.

"Is it just a myth that vampires get hurt if they touch silver?" I asked, trying to explain myself.

A heart-filled chuckle escaped his lips before he lifted his hand to show the silver ring I'd given him being placed on his finger, and an abashed smile appeared on my lips.

"Oh, I didn't…think about that," I mumbled.

"How did you come up with that question?" he asked, sounding truly amused.

I shrugged, which made him smile at me, his blue eyes glittering slightly. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, we could both hear the light sound of footsteps through the house, and I turned my eyes expectantly to the door that would open up any second. Isaac turned around, too, with a similar expression as mine on his face.

Just as we'd predicted, the door flew open after only two seconds, and Lucas walked in quite slowly. His face showed no sign of surprise or shock as he saw that we were both waiting for him; he only walked in and flopped down on the bed where the newspaper lay.

I continued to stare at him until he met my gaze, and he obviously seemed to realize his mistake.

"Knock, knock," he said before he turned his green eyes to the front page of the paper beside him.

I could see Isaac roll his eyes before he walked to the bed as well – tugging me along by grabbing my hand – and sat down beside Lucas. I got down, too, and watched silently as the two brothers began discussing the news of today. Both of them seemed as willing to go searching for the new citizen of the town – a fact that made me feel nauseous.

Isaac kept my hand in his, which was why I could feel how his fingers tightened whenever he got intense as he spoke. My lips were sealed through their whole conversation, although I was screaming inside. Why would they both have to risk their lives when they already knew that they didn't have much of a chance against this vampire? And how much wouldn't I fear that one of them might not come back?

I would go mad if I was alone in this large house.

"You're not leaving me alone here while you go," I said, interrupting Isaac in the middle of a sentence.

He turned his gaze to me, and put his hand – the one that wasn't already locked with mine – on my cheek.

"Jessica, you'll only get hurt if you come with us."

"I rather take that risk," I argued back. "I mean, what if that vampire come _here_ while you're gone?"

"Why would…"

"She's got a point, Isaac," Lucas broke in.

I glanced over at his face, for once feeling grateful to him. But that feeling vanished just a second later when Isaac spoke again.

"Then I'll go alone."

"You are _not_ going alone," I hissed at him.

"I think that's better. That way Lucas can stay behind and look after you."

A frustrated growl escaped my lips. "I don't want anyone to _babysit_ me. What I meant before was that…"

"Are you sure you want to go alone?" Lucas asked as if he hadn't even noticed me speaking.

"I'm sure," Isaac replied in a calm tone, while keeping his hand cradled to my cheek.

I got up in a move that even startled myself – which caused Isaac's hands to fall flat to the covers of the bed – and walked over to the window again to hide the desperate tears that filled up in my eyes. The thought of Isaac _and_ Lucas had been frightening enough; now I just felt like burying myself under the ground to get away from the horrifying reality.

I gazed out the window, taking in how the sun shone on the damp grass, making it glitter beautifully. It looked so peaceful that for a second I could think myself away from all the stress and fear, imagining how everything would have looked like if there wasn't anything threatening any of us. How the wedding between Isaac and me would look, how the white bride gown would smear around my body and contrast to my long, dark brown hair…A hand on my shoulder dragged me out of my daydream, and I blinked in surprise. It wasn't until now that I realized that the tears in my eyes had welled over and were running down my cheeks.

I was suddenly spun around so that I was facing Isaac – who had moved silently to stand behind me while I'd been lost in my thoughts. He pulled me close in an embrace, making me able to press my face against his chest to try to stop the tears. His arms wound around me, and we stood like that for a long time – him holding me close while the salt water running down my face soaked into the light blue sweater he was wearing. There were no sounds to tell me if Lucas was still there, but I assumed that he had left to leave us alone for a while.

"Jessica, trust me," he murmured quietly after a long time. "I will be perfectly fine."

I didn't answer - I didn't even shake my head to argue. His smell bored into my nose as I had my face pressed against his chest, which was enough to calm me for the moment.

Isaac continued speaking in a murmured tone after only a few seconds. "And when I get back, we will have the wedding to plan," he said, as if he'd read my mind before.

His murmurs relaxed me even more, and I leaned against him in total contentment so that his arms were sort of supporting me. For the first time in my life as a vampire, I actually missed being able to sleep and dream away the stress for at least a few hours. For once, I missed being human.

* * *

A few hours later, when the sun had been replaced by the moon and it was almost completely dark in the room, I lay silently beside Isaac on his bed. His arm was still wrapped cozily around me, keeping me snuggled to his side, but I could easily feel the tension in his body. I didn't know if it was because he was actually nervous – after all, he was going to search for the other vampire by himself – or if he was just aware of the fact that the darkness made everything even more frightening. It was silly of me to be scared of something so simple as the nights blackness, but I knew only too well who could be sneaking around outside.

"How are you feeling?" Isaac asked after a minute of silence.

"About what?" I mumbled.

"About…everything," he answered in a low tone. "It's your first year as a vampire, and yet you have to stand all this danger coming at us."

"The only thing I don't like is that you're going alone. The rest I can handle."

He sighed. "Jessica, it's already decided. Lucas will stay here with you for a few days while I go search for the vampire."

"But I want to come with you," I said, sounding like a stubborn five-year-old.

Another sigh escaped his lips, but he didn't say anything else.

"Can't you just let Lucas go while _you_ stay here?" I asked when he didn't speak.

"I'm as capable as him…"

"It doesn't matter. He is your older brother, and so he should take more responsibility."

Isaac was quiet again.

"Besides, I don't want to be stuck here with him while you're gone," I muttered.

The thought of me and Lucas alone in this house was not very pleasant. Not only would the silence between us be tense and awkward, but I was quite sure that I would somehow be able to piss him off like I always do. And if Isaac wasn't there to stop him…

"He'll be nice," Isaac said, interrupting my thoughts.

"It's _Lucas_ we're talking about."

A silent laugh vibrated through Isaac's body, and the corners of my mouth lifted up in a tiny smile. We lay in silence for a short while; I didn't want to bring up the subject from before. But after two minutes had passed, I knew I wouldn't be able to postpone it any longer.

"When are you leaving?" I asked in a mumble.

His arm tightened around me. "We don't have to talk about that right now."

"Yes, we do."

He hesitated before he spoke, and I waited tensely for him to raise his voice. The horror of getting to know when he would be gone was like a hard lump in my stomach, but I knew that it would be better for me to know it now than later. What point was there in saving it for the last second?

"Lucas and I are going to plan everything tomorrow morning, and I'm leaving later that night."

It was so soon.

I hugged myself closer to him as I realized how little time there was left until he would leave for a few days – or never come back – and buried my face against him. He suddenly rolled me over so that I was lying on top of him, and put his hands on either side of my face to press his lips against mine. Although I was stunned, my lips moved with his before I could even think about it; they were almost acting on their own.

After an incredibly long moment, he broke the kiss by leaning my head slightly back with the hands he had pressed against my cheeks. Even in the darkness, I could easily see how his blue eyes glittered with an intense emotion. His breath came out ragged, which I could feel since his face was just an inch away from mine.

None of us said anything until both of our breathing came to a normal rhythm again.

"You have no idea how much I'll miss you," Isaac said with an edge of pain to his voice.

A wave of sadness flooded through my body. I didn't want to think about it at the moment, I didn't want to get reminded of the fact that I might not see his face again after tomorrow. So I pressed my lips against his again to stop him from mentioning it, and he immediately returned the kiss, helping me forget the dreading reality for just one night.

* * *

Everything was ready.

Isaac was not wearing his usual outfit; a sporty training equipment smeared around his beautiful form, making it look like he was just going out for a run. In his hand was a small, black lighter, which he now and then tested by pressing down the button that caused a flame to burst up.

"Sorry," he murmured every time I flinched when the fire appeared in the air.

I had a similar lighter in my back pocket, which I'd received from Isaac earlier, and I knew Lucas had one, too. It was only as a precaution if the vampire would decide to come here, and I was sort of relieved that I wouldn't be _totally_ defenseless if that happened. Still, I wasn't sure if I would be able to actually kill the vampire – not after feeling the guilt of killing an innocent human. Everything was different now, though; this person wasn't even a human, and he was certainly not innocent. But still…

"I'll probably be back in at least a few days, but I can't assure you that it will be easy finding the vampire," Isaac said to his brother, interrupting my thoughts.

"Be careful, though," Lucas replied in a tone that was so concerned that I couldn't stop myself from staring at him in surprise.

He looked back at me after only two seconds, which made me turn my eyes to Isaac instead – deliberately avoiding his gaze. Although I was frustrated with Isaac's decision, it was nothing compared to what I felt towards Lucas for letting his little brother – and the love of my life – go all by himself.

Tears of both frustration and sadness started pushing behind my eyelids, and I blinked furiously to hold them back. Crying wouldn't help a thing. Isaac glanced at my face for a second, and pain clouded his ice blue eyes before he looked back at Lucas.

"Promise me that you'll take care of her," he said in a low but pained voice to his brother.

Lucas nodded, his eyes tightening slightly as he heard the edge of pain in Isaac's voice. I pulled in a shaky breath to try to steady myself, which brought Isaac's attention to me. He cradled my face with both of his hands and leaned closer to press his lips against mine for a long moment. I locked my arms around his neck, desperately trying to make him stay, but he could easily pull them away again after only a few seconds.

"Isaac, don't," I pleaded. The tears that threatened behind my eyelids were easy to detect in my voice.

"I'll be alright," he assured me for surely the thousand of times.

I shook my head. "No, you won't. And you can't expect me to wait here while you're out risking your life."

"You will stay here," Lucas ordered from behind me, while putting one of his hands on my shoulders as a restraint.

I didn't even bother shaking it off – I only kept my pleading eyes on Isaac's face.

"Please, don't go," I mumbled, fighting the tears that would spill over any second.

The pain in his eyes grew wider as he heard my tone, and he laid his arms around me and pressed me tightly against his chest, while he buried his face in my hair. Somehow, Lucas managed to keep his hand on my shoulder anyway.

"I love you," Isaac murmured close to my ear.

"Not as much as I love you," I mumbled back against his chest, and I could feel the corner of his lip curve up in a small smile.

After what seemed like only a second, he leaned back to kiss my lips softly once more before he squirmed free and headed towards the door. Even if I would have been able to walk after him – Lucas' hand kept me in place – I knew nothing I would have said would have made any difference. He was determined to go.

So I only stared after him as he opened the door and disappeared into the night, while the tears welled over and ran silently down my cheeks.


	9. Surprise

**Surprise**

**_There you go – a QUICK update. Anyways, I expect a few more reviews for this chapter…you'll see why ;)_**

My eyes never glanced away from the front door as I sat at the bottom step of the staircase in the hallway. Almost a whole week had passed since Isaac had left, and he still hadn't returned; the reason why I now sat here, waiting for the door to fly open. Which it never did.

Lucas sat beside me, watching my face as intently as I was watching the door. He had taken his task of looking after me seriously; he hadn't let me out of his sight for even a second, which actually didn't bother me as much as I know it would have done any other day.

"He's not going to come home any faster because of this," Lucas finally said, breaking the silence.

"I know," I answered in a monotone voice.

He sighed, obviously hoping for me to break out of my strange mood. I hadn't drunk any blood at all for at least ten days now, and I could feel the thirst weaken my legs and arms, making me unable to do much than just sit. But I knew that even if I'd been able to get up, I wouldn't have moved an inch.

"You need to drink, Jessica," Lucas said with another sigh.

"I know," I repeated, starting to sound like a robot.

The first day without Isaac had been more or less horrible; I'd cried the entire time, while Lucas had sat awkwardly beside me and watched the tears flow down my cheeks. It had not been until the thirst had grown stronger, that I'd shut down my feelings to escape the fear and worry that clouded my mind – which was how I'd ended up here in the hallway, just staring at the door. I wasn't quite sure what Lucas found the most irritating; the crying or the monotony.

A frustrated growl escaped Lucas' lips. "This is not what Isaac meant with me taking care of you."

"I kno—"

His hand was suddenly covering my mouth, and I glanced at his face in weak shock – looking away from the door for the first time in a long time.

"Do not say 'I know'," he said, his eyes burning with clear frustration.

I only stared at him, which made him sigh again and remove his hand from my face.

"You don't want Isaac to come home when you look like this, do you?" he asked in a tired tone. The frustration had faded from both his eyes and his voice.

I shook my head once, and before I could anticipate it, he got up and grabbed my arm – dragging me up from my sitting position. My body felt even weaker as I no longer could rest on something, but before I could slump back down to the floor, Lucas wound his arm around my waist to support me. I mumbled something incoherently in protest, but he just rolled his eyes and lead me towards the living room.

As soon as I was sitting down again – this time on one of the comfortable couches – he blurted out of the room, only to come back two seconds later with a bag of blood in his hand. I just stared at it as he dropped it in my hand, and a new sigh escaped him before he ripped off the thin straw from the side of the bag and stuck it into the plastic material, which was all it took for the irresistible scent to seek its way into my nose.

My body acted on its own as my hand lifted the bag closer to my face so that my lips could find the straw, and my eyes closed in contentment as the thick liquid trickled down my throat. After a few seconds, when the bag had emptied, I opened my eyes again to find Lucas staring at me with the same intensity as before. It hadn't bothered me before, but now as the blood warmed and strengthened me again, it was like all of my feelings burst up inside of me. Fear, worry, frustration, anger…Everything.

"What?" I asked, feeling slightly irritated by his staring.

He blinked in shock as he heard my new tone. "Nothing."

"Then stop staring."

Instead of getting angry or irritated by my mood swing, he just rolled his eyes. There was a certain amusement in his eyes that made him look just like his brother, which made the sadness sink down on me like it had a few days ago, and I glanced down at my hands to try to focus on something that would stop the tears from filling up in my eyes.

"Jessica?" Lucas asked, sounding confused now.

I opened my mouth to speak in a voice that was barely audible. "You let him go alone."

He didn't answer me, so I glanced back up at his face. The humor in his gaze had vanished, and he stared at me with blank eyes, as if he wasn't sure how to respond to my changed mood.

"You let him go alone," I repeated in a louder tone than before.

"You were the one who didn't want to stay here alone," he reminded me.

"I didn't ask him to go by himself. I wanted him to stay here."

"Then maybe you should have said that."

I let a furious hiss escape my lips. "I _did_ say that. But maybe if you had tried to stop him, too, he would have been safe here now and not out chasing after a vampire that will probably kill him."

I got up from the couch as I spoke, so that I could tower over Lucas while he sat down. Unfortunately I only got to stare down at him for a second; he got up, too, in an instant.

"I didn't ask him to go, Jessica. He _wanted_ to."

"You could have stopped him. You should have."

He sighed, not sounding angry at all. "I don't think that would have helped."

"It would at least have been worth a shot," I growled.

"Would it?"

My fists clenched into fists, and I smacked them against his chest once in pure fury. He only stared at me with eyebrows raised in a sort of mocking amusement.

"You're his older brother, and it's time for you to start act like that," I hissed, before I strode past him and out of the room.

I could easily hear his footsteps behind me as I marched up the stairs to Isaac's room, but he didn't stop me as I entered the well-known bedroom and slammed the door shut. The last thing I heard from him was how he walked into his own room, and then I sank down on the floor and buried my face in my hands to hide the tears of both anger and worry that stroke down my face.

It was not until the sky began to darken outside that I moved myself to the largest furniture in the room, and curled myself up as a ball on the center of the bed. The tears were flowing unstoppably down my face, but I couldn't find the will inside of me to try to calm myself.

I didn't notice any other sounds in the house, so it was a surprise to me when a knock on the door to the room was suddenly heard. I couldn't stop the hope from bursting up inside of me, but that feeling vanished painfully a second later when the door opened up and revealed Lucas standing in the doorway. His facial expression was just the tiniest bit awkward as he saw the tears on my cheeks, but aside from that he actually looked…concerned.

I rolled over so that my back was facing him, and squeezed my eyes shut to try to stop the tears. The bed suddenly shifted as he sat down beside me, and a second later I could easily feel him close to me, which immediately made me feel uncomfortable.

"Get out of here," I muttered while I kept my eyes closed and my back faced towards him.

He didn't answer, but neither did he get up from the bed, so I rolled around again to look at him.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked, sounding more shocked than angry.

"You're not going to lie alone in here while you're crying," he said in a calm tone.

And then, before I could manage to come up with something to say, his arm snuck around my waist and pulled me closer to him.

"Hey," I hissed as I tried to worm free from his grip.

Since my face was almost pressed against him, it didn't take more than two seconds for me to notice how he smelled just exactly as Isaac – a fact that made the tears fill up in my eyes again. Lucas only laid silently while I shifted from trying to get away from him to hugging myself closer, pretending that it was someone entirely else holding me. Isaac.

* * *

My tears had just dried when the first rays of the sun shone in on us from the window, and I lifted my head slowly from Lucas' chest – which I'd been half-lying on. He wasn't looking at me; he was studiously ignoring me by watching the door, and his facial expression looked a bit _too_ nonchalant.

"Ehm…," I mumbled, feeling slightly awkward.

I'd never, ever, thought I'd see the day when I'd be comforted by _Lucas_ of all the people, which was now I wasn't quite sure what to do.

"I should…go," Lucas murmured, solving my problem.

"Right," I mumbled in agreement, before I swiftly got up from the bed.

He followed my example and got up, too, before he – without another word – headed towards the door. I moved to stand by the window, staring out at the sunny morning. The damp grass glittered beautifully, and the sky was dark blue and almost cloudless – leaving room for the bright sun to shine.

I was still shocked after the moment with Lucas, which was why I had a difficult time deciding what I was feeling inside – there were too many emotions in me right now. The worry and fear that Isaac might not come back, the frustration that I was stuck in this house while he was out risking his life, the confusedness that Lucas had changed so drastically since last month…It felt like my head was about to explode.

I was also irritated with myself; hadn't I always hated Lucas for all the pain he'd inflicted to my life? Now I couldn't recall the last time I'd felt any pure hate towards him, which was probably due to the fact that he'd actually been nice for a long time. Well, as nice as he could be...

A voice coming from behind me interrupted my thoughts, and I jumped slightly in shock before I turned around to see Lucas standing in the doorway. Had he been there all the time?

"We need to talk," he said, sounding strangely nervous.

I hesitated before I answered, confused by his tone. "Sure."

He walked into the room and sat down on the bed, and eyed the empty spot beside him meaningfully. I walked over to stand a foot away from him, feeling a bit suspicious. It was obvious that something was on his mind, and considering the fact that his facial expression was more nervous than I'd ever seen it, I assumed that it wasn't something thoroughly pleasant.

"What do we need to talk about…?" I asked after a few seconds when he hadn't said anything.

He got up from the bed swiftly and paced back and forth across the room for a minute, while I watched his movements with confused eyes. He finally came to stand in front of me, and pulled in a deep breath as if to gain courage to speak.

"Do you want to know why I did it?" he asked.

For some mysterious reason, I knew at once that he was talking about my mother.

Before I'd even answered, he continued. "I heard you and Isaac talk that night when you stayed over for the first time. You said something about the fact that you were going to leave, and I…I couldn't stand it."

"What?" I asked in a confused tone.

"I didn't want you to leave. And not only for my brother's sake."

"But you…barely knew me…"

My eyebrows furrowed over my eyes as I tried to grasp what he was saying. He took a small step closer, but I didn't really notice it – I was still caught up in my thoughts.

"I really like you, Jessica," he murmured.

His words made me snap back to reality, and I blinked once in shock.

"You what?" I gasped.

"I really like you," he repeated. His tone was softer than I'd ever heard it.

The confusedness I'd felt before vanished abruptly, and was replaced by hot fury as I realized what he was telling me, and my hands clenched into fists.

"Do you hear yourself?" I hissed at him.

"I know it sounds crazy…"

"It sounds crazy? You _killed_ my mother, you tried to kill _me_ and you've acted like a _big, fat jerk_." The words ran out of me before I could stop myself, and I shut my mouth with an audible _snap._

Strangely, Lucas didn't react as I expected him to.

"I know, but I can explain that," he said calmly.

I crossed my arms across my chest and raised my eyebrows. "Go ahead."

"Do you remember the first time you came here?" he asked.

I nodded once; a fast jerk with my head.

"It wasn't just the scent of your blood that overwhelmed me when I touched you – there was also something about you that reminded me so strongly of…Cathy. The way you spoke, how you blushed…," he paused to sigh quietly. "But of course that just brought back the pain from before, which literally drove me crazy…"

I continued to stare at him with my eyebrows raised, shocked by his confessions, but he continued without noticing.

"…and so I took it all out on you. Although I hated you for what you made me feel, I still couldn't just let you move…"

"Okay, stop," I interrupted in a hiss. "All I want to know right now is how long you've…felt this way."

He hesitated before he answered. "Quite long."

I stared at him with wide eyes for a long time without speaking, until I remembered what had happened last night.

"Oh, God," I gasped. "I let you lie beside me…hold me last night."

"I tried to comfort you, Jessica, that's all."

"Like I'm supposed to believe that," I hissed at him.

He stared at my face with unreadable eyes, and I glared stubbornly back at him, refusing to accept what he was actually telling me. The emotion in his eyes suddenly changed, and I took an automatic step back, which he easily matched. His eyes closed as he leaned towards me, and in a desperate attempt to make him back off, my hand flew up to smash against his cheek. Just before my fingers were about to reach his skin, his eyes snapped open and his hand caught my wrist.

I glared furiously at him while I waited for him to let go of my hand, but he surprised me by once again leaning closer.

"No, no, n—"

His lips pressed against mine before I could finish my sentence, and my mind went blank for a second – I was too shocked to realize who was kissing me. His arms wound around me before I could snap back to reality, and I was suddenly unable to move even an inch. I tried to squirm free from his grip, but he was so much stronger than me that it was barely possible to notice my attempts to break free from him. Strangely, this reminded me very much of the time when he'd bit me; I was just as weak as before – at least compared to him – and he had me in an iron grip. Only this time his lips were pressed against my lips instead of my neck.

After only a few seconds, he leaned back again with a small smile on his lips – as if he hadn't even noticed my reaction. His arms eased slightly around me, and I took the opportunity to duck under his arm and sprint towards the doorway…only to realize that someone was already standing there, blocking my only escape from Lucas.

Isaac's face was almost unrecognizable as he stood in front of me; his blue eyes were wide with shock, but I could also clearly see the deep pain that now came to the surface in his gaze – making him look oddly vulnerable.

"Isaac," I squealed, feeling the relief spread inside of me.

Isaac was home. Safe.

But just then, I realized what had caused him to look so pained, and my whole body turned ice cold.

"Why?" he asked in a voice that made my heart splinter into pieces.

**_God, I love cliff hangers :) _**


	10. Wait

**Wait**

"Isaac, I didn't…"

Before my words were out, he abruptly turned around and flew down the stairs, obviously heading for the front door.

"Wait!" I shouted after him, but he didn't pause to look at me.

I turned around to give Lucas – who was still standing across the room – a dark look.

"This is _your_ fault," I growled at him, before I turned back to sprint after Isaac.

The second I exited the front door, I skidded to a halt and glanced around me helplessly. Although I knew he had a good advantage, I couldn't stop myself from hoping to see him standing there – which of course he wasn't. There was a low sound of feet brushing over the ground somewhere far away, though, and I immediately started running towards that direction – blessing my incredible hearing.

Soon enough I reached the point where the large and dark forest began, and I pulled to a stop again. Everything had turned entirely silent, and tears welled up in my eyes as I realized what that meant. He was too far away already.

I sank to the ground in defeat and pressed my face against the soft, damp earth, ignoring the dirt that snuck into my mouth. For a long moment I lay like that, shaking with both disbelief and tears. Something silver glittered by the sun in the grass a meter away from me, and I lifted my head to examine it. Another wave of misery flooded through me as I realized that it was the ring I'd given to him so many days ago, and I pressed my face against the ground again to stop the tears that continued to run down my cheeks.

I couldn't lose Isaac.

I wouldn't.

The hopelessness vanished in a second and was replaced by determination, and I scrambled to my feet – grabbing the ring from the ground on my way – and started running again, this time in an even faster speed than before. Tears still stroke down my face as I flew like a ghost through the dark forest. There were no other sounds than my heart-broken sobs, yet I continued running, trying to stop the impossible from happening.

The top of the trees stopped the sunlight from breaking in, which made the forest almost completely dark as my feet moved faster over the ground than they ever had before. It was not until I saw a weak glimmer radiating from the surface of a crystal clear river, that I realized where I was. I slowed down slightly and glanced around me in wonder. A few feet away, the river with the mirror-like surface ran as marvellously as the last time I'd been there – the day when I'd woken up as a vampire.

But that was not what caught my attention.

A tall, white figure stood just a meter away from me, and a wave of shockingly strong relief flooded through my body. He had his back towards me, which was why I could only see the dark hair that covered his neck. I took a few steps closer, and placed my hand lightly on his shoulder.

"Isaac, please listen to me," I said in a begging voice. "I didn't do anything…"

My voice trailed off into silence as he turned around and revealed a face I'd never seen before. The man in front of me had eyes with the beautiful gray color of silver, and his pale face was framed by hair dark as the night – making it obvious that he was a vampire. There was a certain feeling of danger that seemed to radiate off his body, though, which immediately had me frightened.

"Who are you?" I asked slowly.

He shook off my hand from his shoulder roughly; I'd forgotten that it was still lying there.

"I'm Grant," he answered in a strangely hostile tone. "And who are _you_?"

I took a small step back from him as I answered. "Jessica."

His eyes narrowed slightly as he saw how I flinched back from him, and he matched my step easily. He reminded me frustratingly much of someone else, and I scrambled through my head to sort out who this stranger could be. The shock after the moment with Lucas and Isaac was clouding my mind, though, making it harder for me to think straight.

"You haven't happened to see anyone out here?" I asked to distract him.

"I actually have a similar question for you," he said, obviously not getting side-tracked.

"Really?" I said, while I took another small step back.

This time he didn't seem to notice. "My brother has sort of…disappeared. I'm wondering if you might have caught a glimpse of him."

My mouth fell open with an audible _pop_ as everything fell into place in my head, and I took another quick step back to get away from him. It felt surreal that I was standing right in front of the man I'd feared for so long now – the man who'd murdered all those innocent humans in my hometown.

It took me a second too long to answer. "Sorry, no."

His eyes narrowed again as he heard the false detection in my voice. "I don't believe you."

"I-I haven't seen him," I stuttered, while the image of his brother turning into a pile of glowing ash ran through my head.

His hands suddenly clasped around my neck in a choking hold, and he dragged me closer so that his face was only an inch away from mine. He was even stronger than Lucas, which practically scared the hell out of me.

"Do not lie to me," he snarled.

I stared at him in shock while he glowered back at me with murderous eyes. Just then, I remembered the small weapon I knew laid safely in my back pocket, and I discretely moved my left hand there to try to fish up the lighter. The vampire – Grant – obviously seemed to realize what I was doing, because he glanced down at my hand just as I was able to get a good hold of the small item. As he looked up at my face again, a mockingly malicious smile had appeared on his lips.

"Oh, I wouldn't try that if I were you," he warned in a tone that matched the rest of his features.

Just as I opened my mouth to reply, a familiar voice that made my heart melt with relief broke through the forest.

"Let go of her."

Grant glanced over my head to see who had decided to join us, and I took the opportunity to worm free from his grip. He focused his gaze on me then, and grabbed my arm to stop me from escaping, before he looked away again.

"Where's my brother?" he asked.

Isaac's voice was closer as he spoke again. "I'll answer you if you let go of her."

Grant growled in response and tightened his grip around my arm.

"Don't hurt her. She hasn't done anything."

"What did you do to my brother?" Grant roared.

My back was still turned towards Isaac, and I squirmed in Grant's grip – desperate to see Isaac's face. Grant's only response was to harden his already tight hold.

The air around me swirled, and I could suddenly feel another grip around my other arm, much gentler than Grant's. As Isaac spoke again, he was standing so close so that his breath blew a few strands of my hair into my face.

"I'll say this one last time; let go of her."

"Or else?" Grant asked in a defiant tone.

A pair of pale hands suddenly locked around Grant's throat and dragged him a step back. The gruff voice coming from behind him was easy to recognize.

"Or else we will kill you," Lucas answered.

Behind me, Isaac flinched as he heard his brother's voice and he dragged me back in such a fast jerk so that Grant's hand fell off my arm. As soon as I was freed from the murderous vampire, I backed away quickly until my back hit Isaac's chest, and his arms wound around me protectively. I could feel that he wasn't comfortable, though, and I kept my gaze locked on the scene in front of me as I fought the tears that wanted to well up in my eyes again.

A furious growl was suddenly heard, and it was easy to notice that it was Grant who had made the sound. He had managed to break free from Lucas' hands, and now began to run so fast that he was only a blur in the darkness. Before anyone could react, Lucas was suddenly pinned down to the ground with Grant on top of him. His hands locked around Lucas' neck, and another growl escaped his lips.

I could easily see how the muscles in Grant's arms tightened as he obviously planned on snapping Lucas' neck, and my breathing sped up.

"No!" I shouted, struggling to break free from Isaac's protective grip.

Grant glanced up at me in surprise, obviously not expecting my reaction. Lucas was smarter than that, though; as soon as his enemy was distracted, he rolled them both around so that he was the one holding Grant down, and not the other way around. While one of his hands pressed against Grant's throat, he used his other hand to fish up the small lighter from his back pocket.

By then, Grant had noticed what Lucas was doing, and was thereby now wrestling to roll around again. Since he was much stronger than Lucas, it didn't take long for him to succeed, and I once again tried to budge the iron arms around me.

"You'll get yourself killed if you try to stop them," Isaac murmured in a low, but strained voice.

Although just the sound of his voice – beautiful even in its sadness – would have calmed me any other time, I couldn't stop the panic from building up inside of me. It didn't matter that it was Lucas, and it didn't matter that I was supposed to be mad at him right now – all I knew was that I could not let him die like this.

"Are we just supposed to let him die then?" I asked in a voice that was nearly a hiss.

Isaac hesitated, before he inhaled sharply and let go of me. But before I could take a single step in the right direction, he darted past me and over to where the two vampires were wrestling for their lives. He grabbed a hold of the back of Grant's shirt and yanked him up, while Lucas took his chance to turn on the lighter and nearly throw it at his enemy.

A last growl escaped Grant's lips, before he crumbled together to the ground between the two brothers. Lucas lay still on the ground – his breathing ragged – but it was easy to see that no part of him was hurt.

"That was…," he started, but Isaac interrupted him shortly.

"Do not speak to me."

He turned away from him, but Lucas got to his feet swiftly and put a hand on Isaac's shoulder to stop him from taking a step away. I could easily see how Isaac's hands clenched into fists as he recoiled from his brother's touch.

"Isaac, don't be…"

Again he got interrupted, but not by words this time. Isaac abruptly turned around and – before either Lucas or I could anticipate it – smashed his fist against Lucas' nose, causing it to break with an ominous cracking sound.

"Ouch," Lucas groaned as he staggered a step back and covered his broken nose with his right hand.

Isaac stood still for a second, just watching Lucas with eyes that were more pained than they were angry, before he turned around to face me. I stared back at him for a second, before everything just got too much for me. I was not sure if it was the fear of losing Isaac, or the shock after the days different moments, but I was suddenly so overwhelmed by emotions that I couldn't stop a sob from shaking my torso violently. My legs sort of weakened, but before I could kneel to the ground, Isaac was standing in front of me with his arms wound around me – supporting me.

I threw my arms around his neck, locking myself to his tense body, and buried my face against his chest. The air swirled slightly around us, and although I couldn't see anything, I easily realized that Lucas had decided to leave us alone.

"Isaac, I didn't do anything," I managed to mumble between the sobs that escaped my lips.

He didn't answer me, so I leaned away to look at his face, while my body continued to shake with tears. His eyes were focused on something just above my head, and his jaw was tight – making it even more obvious that he was upset.

I put my hands on either side of his face – ignoring the way he flinched slightly – and turned his head down so that he would meet my tear-filled eyes. There was so sign of anger in his eyes, only a pain so deep that it hurt inside of me.

I pulled in a deep breath to steady myself before I spoke. "Please, listen to me," I begged.

He stared into my eyes silently, which I took as a sign for me to continue speaking.

"I would never, ever, do something like that. You know I wouldn't."

"Then how do you explain what happened?" he asked in a voice that was as pained as his eyes.

"Lucas…told me he had feelings for me," I explained in a cautious voice, aware of how Isaac's hands clenched into fists and how his eyes tightened slightly. "Before I could stop him, he kissed me."

He hesitated before he spoke. "I guess that sounds like something Lucas would do."

I stood silently, not sure how to respond. Smiling at his comment was not something I found very appropriate at the moment, so I only kept my lips sealed. Isaac sighed quietly then, and moved one of his hands to put it at my cheek. I closed my eyes and rested against his hand in contentment.

"I just don't understand why he would do something like that," Isaac said in a voice that wasn't totally as agonized as before.

"Neither do I," I mumbled.

He stood silently for a few seconds.

"Do you have feelings for him?" he finally asked.

My eyelids flew open.

"What?" I gasped.

"Do you have feelings for him?" he repeated.

I shook my head in disbelief. "That's an absurd question."

"Just answer."

I let a sigh escape my lips before I spoke. "Of course I don't have feelings for him. You know that."

His body relaxed slightly, but the pain remained in his beautiful blue eyes – a sight I didn't enjoy at all.

"I love _you_, Isaac," I murmured, meeting his gaze intently. "Only you."

He sighed quietly. "You know I love you, too."

"But you're still upset," I whispered, feeling how his body was still tensed.

"It's just…," he paused to sigh again. "The image of the two of you kissing. It's haunting my mind."

"Isaac…"

"I know you didn't do anything. I believe you, Jessica. But it doesn't change the image anyway."

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, glancing down to avoid his gaze. The tears had filled up in my eyes again, and I desperately fought to stop them from spilling over.

He stroke my face with the thumb of the hand he already had pressed against my cheek, but I kept my gaze locked on the ground.

"What are you apologizing for?" he murmured.

"For…everything," I said quietly. "I mean, this was not how everything was supposed to be. We were going to get married…"

Isaac interrupted me. "We're still going to get married, Jessica."

I glanced up at his face in surprise, and he returned my gaze evenly.

"I'm not mad at _you_, love," he said softly. "Lucas on the other hand…"

I smiled a tiny smile as the relief flooded through my body, and hugged myself closer to him. His body was not tensed anymore, but neither was it fully relaxed, so I leaned back again to give him a confused look.

"What's wrong?" I asked, although I wasn't sure if I really wanted to know the answer.

A new emotion flashed across his face. "It's…nothing."

I stared suspiciously at him while I tried to figure out why he suddenly looked ashamed, and he glanced away from me to hide his eyes.

"Isaac…?" I prompted.

He kept his gaze on the ground as he spoke. "I was – as you probably realize – very upset as I saw you two, and I went a little…overboard as I ran…"

Even though he hadn't finished his sentence, I realized what he was trying to tell me, and so I fished up the silver ring from the pocket where I'd put it while I'd been running before. He stared at it with an expression mixed of surprise and relief, before he glanced up at my face again. His eyes turned apologizing.

"I didn't mean to do…"

"You don't have to apologize," I interrupted softly. "Especially not today."

The tiny smile that appeared on his lips filled my body with relief, and I leaned my head against his chest again. His hand stroke my back, almost as if he was soothing me, and I closed my eyes in complete contentment.

We stood like that for what felt like hours, before he leaned away a bit, causing my eyes to snap open again in surprise. He leaned down slightly so that his eyes could lock with mine, and I stood still – not sure how to react to his sudden move.

"I should apologize for one thing, though," he said in a voice that was freed from the pain.

"I told you…"

He silenced me by putting a finger to my lips, and I stopped myself from showing the annoyance in my eyes.

"I shouldn't have gone alone and left you with him," he said. "Nothing would have happened if I hadn't left."

I grabbed his wrist to move away his finger from my lips, so that I could speak without difficulty.

"Do _not_ blame this on yourself," I said slowly, staring intently into his eyes.

He sighed. "But it _is_ sort of my fault. If I'd stayed…"

"Then Lucas would have done it some other time," I finished.

Isaac sighed but dropped the subject by grabbing my hand, where the silver ring laid.

"May I?" he asked, glancing up at my face.

I raised an eyebrow questioningly at him. "Why are you asking?"

He smiled slightly before he picked up the ring to slid it onto his finger, where it was supposed to be placed. I kept my gaze locked on his face while he stared at the ring, and waited until his eyes lifted to mine again before I spoke.

"Can I ask something?"

"Of course," he answered quickly, obviously not noticing the caution in my voice.

"We're leaving this town, right?" I asked.

"I think it will be the best thing to do after everything that has happened," he answered, a bit more hesitant now.

I paused slightly before I opened my mouth again. "What about…Lucas then?"

His eyebrows furrowed over his eyes, and he stood in silence for a short while as if to think through his answer.

"Let's just save that for later," he finally said.

I was about to nod, but he suddenly leaned closer to me, and I froze in motion. Just as his face was an inch away from mine, he stopped and sighed quietly, causing his breath to sweep over my face.

I sighed, too. "It's still the image of me and Lucas, right?"

He didn't answer, but I took his silence as a _yes_.

"I understand," I mumbled as I saw the strike of pain flash across Isaac's eyes.

He closed his eyes and stood in silence for a long moment, while I stared at his face quietly. His eyes suddenly snapped open again, and before I could react in any way, he leaned closer in an instant and kissed me with more eagerness than I'd expected. Feeling his lips move with mine, it was like breathing in the air after being under water for too long – it was a feeling so strong that it warmed every cell inside of me. I locked my arms around his neck to hold him close, and his hands wound into my hair, keeping my lips molded to his.

Of course, that was when the sound of footsteps was suddenly audible behind me, and Isaac's body stiffened at the same time as he pulled away from me.

"I told you I don't want to speak to you," he growled – his body tense again – as he glanced over my head at the person who had joined us.

And I knew at once who it was.

**_I know, I know, the end sucked. But my inspiration isn't always great…_**

**_By the way, thanks for the reviews for the last chapter – it was kind of fun to see how you reacted :)_**


	11. Fight

**Fight**

**_Again, it took much too long for me to update. Sorry, sorry, sorry! _**

"We need to talk, Isaac," Lucas said calmly from behind me.

Although it hadn't disturbed me before, the sound of his voice now made me flinch slightly as I got reminded of the moment with him earlier today. I half-turned around to stare at him with a mixture of irritation and embarrassment. Would I ever be able to look at him again without remembering what had happened between us?

Isaac seemed to solve that problem.

"There's nothing to talk about," he said coldly. "We're leaving soon, and there is no longer any reason for you to follow."

I glanced back at his face. "We're leaving?"

"I thought you knew that we can't stay here," he said while a strike of confusion flashed across the icy expression that had took place on his face, as if he'd taken it for granted that I'd known about the plans he'd had. Which he had all the right to do.

Of course I remembered that we'd planned on leaving this town as soon as everything had gotten calm again – I'd just been distracted by those thoughts for a while. But now as he reminded me, the shock sank down on me with enough force to leave me speechless for a few seconds.

"Jessica?" Isaac asked, his tone much softer.

I could feel the tears press behind my eyelids for the surely thousand of times this past week as I realized that we were going to leave the town I'd lived in for over sixteen years now. It hadn't hit me like that before, which was why it now took me so off guard.

From the corner of my eye I saw how Lucas took a step closer to me as he saw the water well up in my eyes, but Isaac let out a shockingly warning growl – causing Lucas to step back immediately. It was funny in an odd way, seeing him flinch back from his younger brother.

"Isaac, I just want to speak to you," he tried carefully. "Leaving for this is hardly necessary."

"It's not for _you_. Has it even occurred to you that it's an actual risk for the humans if we stay? Or that someone might get suspicious when they see how Jessica has changed?"

Lucas stood silently for a second as the words sunk in, while I continued staring at Isaac with tear-filled eyes. He kept his gaze at his big brother's face, but his hand pressed softly against my cheek in a soothing gesture.

"We can keep a low profile until they get used to it, and then everything will be okay again," Lucas finally said. "There's no reason to leave."

Isaac sighed, obviously irritated. "So we're just going to stay away from sociality like you do?"

"Not everyone has the self control you believe to have," Lucas spat back.

Both of them were leaning slightly towards each other, but I couldn't do anything than just stare – I was still caught up in my shocked trance.

"Are you saying that it's a _bad _thing I don't kill innocent humans?" Isaac hissed, his hand – the one that wasn't pressed against my cheek – clenching into a fist.

"What I mean is that you might have to reconsider the idea that you and Jessica can live with humans without any complications."

I flinched slightly as I heard him say my name, but the shock was still like a cloud in my mind, making me unable to say or do anything.

"What?" Isaac asked, starting to sound a bit shocked.

"She's had a lapse of control once. It might happen again."

"She won't. Not after everything that has happened."

Lucas sighed. "How can you be so sure of that?"

Isaac hesitated for a second before he spoke in a colder voice than before. "I don't see how that concerns you in any way."

I didn't like how their argument had began involving me, but I couldn't find any will in me at the moment to ask them to calm down.

As Lucas spoke again, his voice turned oddly softer.

"I care about her, too."

"You…care…about…her?" Isaac spoke every word with hesitation, as if they had to sink in.

It didn't take more than two seconds for the fury to burst up in him again – visible even in his piercing blue eyes. His hand dropped from my face as he stalked over to where Lucas stood, and I turned around to stare awkwardly after him. My body ached to follow after him, but it was like my brain had frozen in the shock that clouded my mind – making me unable to take a single step in the right direction.

"Did you care about her when you nearly killed her?" Isaac growled in Lucas' face.

"That was an accident."

"An a…"

Lucas cut him off shortly. "I didn't mean to do that. She came too close that time."

Isaac let out a frustrated growl. "It doesn't matter anyway. You still don't have any right to _kiss_ her."

"She needed to know her options," Lucas said, sounding utterly calm.

His words made me finally snap back to reality, and I blinked once in shock.

"You don't…," Isaac started, but I interrupted him.

"What options?" I asked slowly, confusion clouding my tone.

He turned his eyes to my face. "Isaac isn't your only option. Would it have been better if I'd waited with telling you that until _after_ the wedding?"

My eyes widened so much with disbelief as I heard his words that it felt like they were bulging out.

"_Waited_?" I hissed, deliberately avoiding talking about the first thing he'd said. "I'd much rather you hadn't said anything at all!"

"It's better that you know it now than after you're married," Lucas said, still sounding irritatingly calm.

"You don't kiss someone who's _engaged_ to your brother," I said, my voice taking onto a high-pitched sound.

Lucas threw a quick glance at Isaac, who still stood right in front of him with a threatening expression on his face. The tension in the air was so thick that I could almost feel it on the tips of my fingers, and I couldn't stop myself from walking over to where the two brothers stood so that I could grab Isaac's hand. It was not just to stop him from doing something he might regret later – I was much too upset to bare standing alone for another second.

The second my fingers entwined with Isaac's, his eyes darted to my face and his whole expression softened up. I could see how Lucas eyed Isaac questioningly as he noticed the change, but I spoke before he could get his chance.

"Fighting about this won't help anything," I said, my voice much quieter than before. "And neither will it change what happened."

Isaac grimaced slightly, but kept his lips sealed.

Lucas only nodded as in an agreement to my words.

"Good," I mumbled slowly, unsure how to continue.

Isaac helped me before I could make a fool of myself. "If we're not going to fight, then maybe it's time for you to apologize," he said, his eyes resting on Lucas' face.

Lucas raised his eyebrow. "Apologize?"

"What you did was fairly nice," Isaac said, the anger building up in his voice again.

"I don't regret it, though," Lucas said defiantly. "I'd do it again if I had the chance."

Isaac let out a fierce growl in response to Lucas' words, and I glanced up at his face just in time to see the resolve form in his eyes.

"Isaac, don't!" I said in an attempt to stop him, but I was too late.

Before my words were out, Isaac lunged at his brother with so much force that they both crashed loudly to the ground. Lucas didn't get any chance to recover from the shock before Isaac's hand smashed against his newly fixed nose, and it broke again with a cracking sound. A strange sound escaped my lips as the panic burst up inside of me, but neither of them turned their attention to me.

"Stop, stop, stop!" I hissed frantically.

Isaac glanced at me as he got distracted by my voice, and Lucas spun them around in the split of a second – causing me to gasp in fear. For the time I'd known Lucas, I had not only learned that he was physically stronger than Isaac, but also that he was not the person to stop a fight. But instead of giving back for his damaged nose, he surprised me by picking this moment to be noble.

While he kept himself positioned as he was, his hands gripped Isaac's wrists – pinning him to the ground. I knelt down beside them and pressed my palms on either side of Isaac's face, turning his head around so that his eyes would meet mine. His tensed body relaxed slightly as my fingers touched his cheeks.

"Please," I begged. "Don't fight."

He stared intently into my eyes for a long moment before a burst of air escaped his lips, which I assumed was meant as a sigh, and his expression turned apologizing.

"You're right. I'm sorry."

I flashed him a tiny smile. "I thought I told you not to apologize for anything today."

The answering smile that appeared on his lips overwhelmed me with relief, but that wonderful feeling disappeared a second later as I caught a glimpse of the grimace on Lucas' face. He was obviously not comfortable with our small exchange of words.

Isaac glanced back at his face. "You can get off me now," he said curtly.

Lucas seemed to be frozen into place for a second as he stared at me, almost as if he was asking for my permission. I studiously ignored him by glancing down at the ground beneath me, hoping for him to take it as a sign of how little I wanted to talk to him at the moment. As I looked down, I couldn't escape noticing how the pair of jeans I was wearing looked awfully dirty – the reaction to the dirt that I'd been both lying and sitting on. I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to see what my face looked like after today's moments.

After a few seconds, Lucas swiftly got off Isaac's stomach – which he'd been sitting on to keep Isaac in place – and took a small step back. Again, the way he seemed to be so frightened of his younger brother was humoristic in a weird way. Or it was just my humor that was seriously twisted.

Isaac, too, got up in a graceful move – causing my hands to fall flat to the ground. He quickly turned to me and offered me his hand, which I took with a smile on my lips; no matter how upset he was, he would always be a gentleman. He kept my hand in his grip even as I was standing, and I enjoyed the feeling his touch brought me.

"Now that you're done hitting me for the day," Lucas started. It was easy to hear the strange edge that had appeared in his tone, but I had no idea what he was starting to get upset about. "Can we please have a normal discussion?"

Isaac turned his eyes unwillingly to his brother's face, and his voice was steely when he answered. "We should probably head back to the house first. Someone will surely show up here soon."

I was just about to ask him why anyone would show up here at this time, but just then I realized that it was still early in the afternoon. The darkness of the forest had convinced me that it was already past midnight.

Without waiting for an answer from Lucas, Isaac turned around and began walking back the way we'd gotten here, towing me along. Despite my effort to ignore Lucas, I couldn't stop myself from throwing glances over my shoulder to see if he was coming with us. He stood still for a few seconds before he darted after us, easily catching up with Isaac's tempo.

As his eyes met mine, I immediately glanced away again, regretting that I'd showed him any sign of being aware of his presence. The rolling of his eyes was almost audible as he noticed my reaction, and I had to bite my lip to stop myself from snapping at him.

I could feel Isaac's eyes on my face as we half-ran through the forest, and I lifted my gaze questioningly to his face. He didn't answer the unspoken question in my eyes, but he continued looking at me with an intensity I could not quite understand. Almost as if he was…worried about me.

"What?" I asked, starting to feel slightly self-conscious.

An tiny smile of amusement suddenly played around the corners of his mouth. "I was just trying to figure out why your hair is filled with leaves."

I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing but air came out. It felt pathetic to tell him what I'd actually done in reaction to his absence, so I just closed my mouth again and glanced away, feeling abashed.

It was easy to hear the quiet laugh that Lucas let out behind us, and I glanced over my shoulder at him while Isaac went back to just studying my face. Although I'd almost gotten over the feeling of self-consciousness I usually got when he stared so intently at me, I still couldn't really feel completely calm as I felt his eyes on my face. It was irritating in a way, knowing that he was curious about how the dirt and leaves had twisted into my hair – a secret I would probably never reveal to him.

As the large house came into view after a short while, I hugged myself slightly closer to Isaac, trying to forget the recent memories of the inside of the certain place. It was impossible not to notice the tension in Isaac's body as he opened the front door, and I almost had to tug _him_ along – and not the other way around – to get inside the house. Instead of walking up to his familiar bedroom, he steered his steps to the living room, and I swallowed quite loudly as I realized the reason behind this.

He plopped down on the couch and since his hand still had mine in a quite tight grip, there was no other choice for me than to sit down beside him. Not that I wouldn't have done it otherwise.

Lucas wasn't as quick with his movements. He hesitantly walked inside the room after us, and went to sit at the couch farthest away from us – again looking more frightened than I'd ever seen him.

Isaac cleared his throat once before he spoke in the same cold tone as he'd used before.

"Let's talk then."

* * *

I lay on my back on the couch, staring absent-mindedly up at the roof while my feet rested on Isaac's lap. For over two hours had the two brothers argued – although more calmly than before – and I was starting to get seriously bored.

A sigh escaped my lips as I closed my eyes and listened to their conversation.

"We're still leaving," Isaac said, sounding more tired than angry now.

Lucas' tone matched his brother's. "I don't understand why, though. We've managed to live here for a long time without having anyone get suspicious."

"You know that's a lie. Don't you remember the man you _killed_ just because he knew too much about you?"

I flinched slightly, but their argument continued without a hesitation.

"That was about me. Not Jessica."

"People have started to get suspicious about her, too."

"I haven't noticed any suspicion."

Isaac let out an irritated sigh. "Maybe because you've been locked up in here for so long."

"You're changing the subject," Lucas sad in a voice that was nearly a growl. "What I'm saying is that no one has actually gotten suspicious, and she's been in town for a few times now."

"Oh, really? Why don't you ask her, and you'll see what _I'm_ saying."

Again, I didn't like how their conversation had to involve me, and so I opened my eyes again and pulled myself up in a sitting position – causing both of them to stare silently at me. I wrapped my arms around my legs so that I could rest my chin on top of my knees before I spoke.

"Look, I don't really understand the problem here. People _are_ starting to get suspicious – and not just about me – and although I don't want to leave, it's impossible for us to stay here."

I ended my short speech with a sigh, and closed my eyes again while I waited for them to accept my words. After only two seconds I could feel the couch shift as Isaac got to his feet, but I kept my eyelids pressed together, which was why it was a mild shock to me when two arms suddenly wrapped around me.

Isaac's lips were just at my ear as he spoke. "I don't want to leave either, Jessica," he murmured. "But wherever we go, everything will be just perfect."

"I know," I whispered.

He rested his head against mine as he kept his arms around me, and I waited a few seconds before I slowly opened my eyes to see why the room had gotten so quiet. It didn't take more than the split of a second for me to realize the reason; the couch across the room was no longer occupied by Lucas. It was empty.

"Where did he go?" I asked, my voice still as low as a whisper.

Isaac's voice was in a normal volume. "Upstairs. I believe he needed to think through some things."

I hesitated slightly before I spoke. "Is he coming with us when we move?"

Silence.

"Isaac?" I prompted.

Still no answer.

I turned my head around so that my eyes could lock with his, but he glanced down at the floor to avoid my gaze. I shrugged out from his arms then and got up from the couch, causing his arms to fall flatly to the furniture.

"Then I'll just go ask him myself," I muttered.

Of course I wasn't planning on actually going up to Lucas' room and asking him – I couldn't even think his name without feeling awkward. But Isaac couldn't know that it was just a threat.

Before I could take more than two steps, a hand wrapped tightly around my upper arm – pulling me to a stop.

"No," Isaac said from behind me, his voice taking onto a cold tone again. "He's not coming with us."

I stood still for a second before I turned around to look at him.

"Does he know that?" I asked hesitantly.

"He probably knows now," Isaac said in a silent voice, giving the roof a meaningful glance.

Although I tried very hard to restrain it, I couldn't stop a wave of compassion from flooding through my body. It was not just the fact that he was not going to come with us that made me feel bad – it was the way he now had gotten to know it that was the worse thing.

Before I could say anything, a pair of footsteps were suddenly audible from the staircase and just a second later, Lucas showed up in the doorway to the living room. His face was nearly unrecognizable; his ice green eyes were filled with an unexplainably strong fury and his lips were pressed together in a tight line. I stared at him in complete shock; I'd anticipated _some_ kind of reaction from him, but not this.

Isaac dragged me back a step so that his arm could wound around my waist and pull me closer to him – a protective stance.

"How can you for a second think that you're just going to leave with her?" Lucas asked, breaking the tense silence that had appeared in the room.

His voice was not as furious as I'd expected it to be – it sounded more shocked than angry. I still couldn't do anything else than just stare at him, but Isaac was more controlled.

"I can't leave her with you, can I?" he asked, his tone cold. "Not without having you…"

"So you're just going to _dump_ me here in this town?" Lucas interrupted.

"Maybe if you hadn't isolated yourself from everything, you would have had other options."

"You know the reason behind that," Lucas growled.

"That doesn't change…"

"Stop!" I interrupted in an exasperated hiss, but they only paused for a second before their babble continued.

"I agreed to stay with you in this town when you asked me to," Lucas said. "And yet you're just going to leave after over fifty years."

"I wouldn't have done it if you hadn't _kissed_ Jessica!"

"I told you she needed to know her options."

"There are no options."

I let out a frustrated growl before I roughly wormed free from Isaac's protective grip, feeling both irritated and despondent at the same time. He didn't stop me as I walked towards the doorway, and neither did Lucas as I pushed him aside so that I could proceed on my way to the staircase. The argument continued unstoppably as I made my way up to the third story.

Just as I entered Isaac's well-known room, I skidded to a halt – seeing how everything had changed now. I could barely look at the bed without remembering all the crying, and as my eyes darted over to the spot just beside the large furniture, a wave of embarrassment and chagrin welled through me as I got reminded of what exactly had happened in this room. It was obvious that we had to move – I couldn't even stand looking at the room that had once made me feel comfortable and safe.

I turned around and began slowly wander through the hall, now and then glancing back at the staircase – always anticipating either Isaac or Lucas to stand there. Of course neither of them were there. It was not until I reached the door to a room I'd never been in before, that I pulled to a stop again with my hand on the door-handle. Lucas' room.

The curiosity flared up inside of me, pushing away all the other, more negative, feelings, and I hesitantly pushed down the handle to the door – causing it to silently slide open. I took a few small steps inside and closed the door behind me, before I spun around to take a good look on the room.

It was like no one actually lived in there. The walls were dark-colored – standing out from the other lighter rooms of the house – and empty, screaming for decorations or paintings. And although I actually spun around slowly to make sure that my eyes weren't just playing some trick on me, there was no bed either. The only furniture in the room was an old-looking armchair, and beside it a half-full cardboard box. I hesitantly walked over to it and knelt down slowly, meanwhile listening intently to the arguing that was still going on two stories down. I knew I didn't have any right to be in this room, but the curiosity pushed me forwards so that my hands grabbed the sides of the box and pulled it closer to me.

I was just about to take a closer look of the things that were shuffled down in the box, when the voices from down-stairs suddenly stopped. My breath got caught in my throat as I listened to the quick footsteps that now marched up the stairs and I pressed my eyes tightly together as I waited for the reaction that would come from both Isaac and Lucas when they found me here.

The only thing was that I was not sure who would react the worst.

**_I know, I know, this chapter – and its ending – wasn't one of the best. But I'm really struggling with writing the story, doing my home-work and mostly trying to get some rest – all at the same time. It just feels like too much is going on right now. _**

**_But I'm absolutely going to write a new chapter as soon as I can – and with that I don't mean two weeks ;)_**


	12. Plans

**Plans**

**_A few more reviews would totally help me keep the inspiration flowing… ;)_**

My eyelids flew open again as the panic burst up inside of me and I rose to my feet in a swift and graceful move before I glanced around me, desperately trying to find a place to hide. The footsteps from the staircase suddenly increased in speed and a startled sound escaped my lips as I realized that there was nowhere for me to go.

"Jessica?" Isaac called from the hallway, his tone worried.

A second later, Lucas' voice was heard, too. "Maybe she's in your room."

"She's not," Isaac replied coldly.

I let out a curse under my breath before I slowly walked over to the door and pushed down the handle. In an instant, the hallway got silent as both of the brothers clearly turned the attention towards the door I was hiding behind. I unwillingly slid it open and peeked outside, too much of a coward to take a complete step out of the room.

"Jess…" Isaac started, sounding confused now, but Lucas interrupted him swiftly.

"What were you doing in there?" he asked, his voice nearly a growl.

"Uhm," I mumbled. "Nothing."

They both stared at me with expressions mixed of confusedness and anger, and I hesitantly took a step outside while my eyes wailed back and forth between their faces. Isaac only continued looking at me – obviously deep in thought – as I took a few unsure steps towards him, but Lucas seemed to come back to his senses.

As I was about to pass him to get to Isaac's side, his arm flew out and grabbed my upper arm in a tight, but gentle grip. In the flash of a second, Isaac was standing just an inch away from me.

"Let go of her," he said in a growl.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to hurt her. I do have a right to know what she was doing in my room, though."

He glanced at my face, his green eyes more curious than angry now. Isaac only kept his gaze warningly on Lucas' face.

I cleared my throat once before I spoke. "I told you I wasn't doing anything. I was just plain curious."

Lucas' eyebrow arched upwards. "Curious?"

I didn't like how his fingers were still wrapped around my arm – knowing that it meant something totally else to him than it did to me – and so I quickly jerked my arm back so that his grip around it would ease up. The second he noticed what I was doing, his hand fell back to his side.

"Yes, curious," I said, trying to keep my tone nonchalant. I didn't like how tense the air had gotten in the hallway. "But do I really owe you an explanation?" I added in a slightly sour tone.

He stared at my face for an unnecessarily long second before he marched into his room, smacking the door shut behind him as he did. I glanced down at the floor, dreading for the moment when Isaac would ask me the same thing Lucas had asked me.

It didn't take more than a few seconds.

"Jessica, what were you doing in there?" he asked. Although he tried to keep his tone calm, I could hear the emotions burning behind his words.

A quiet sigh escaped my lips. "I wasn't doing anything. Honestly."

"But why?" he asked, the anger building up in his voice. "Why _his_ room?"

I glanced up as I heard his new tone, and gave him a tired look.

"Don't start an argument," I sighed. "Please, don't."

He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again at the same time as his blue eyes softened up. Before he could say anything as an apology, I spoke quickly.

"Can't we go out for a walk?"

It took a second for him to answer – obviously my sudden suggest was surprising to him.

"Whatever you want," he assured me before he grabbed my hand gently.

Keeping his fingers entwined with mine, he started walking down the stairs, tugging me along as I threw glances over my shoulder at the closed door to Lucas' room. I knew he'd just heard every word of our small conversation, which was the reason why I wanted to go outside to get some privacy. Especially since the subject I was about to bring up wouldn't be the most amusing for him…

The weather outside was perfect as we exited the house; the sky was cloud-free and dark blue, just like it had been this morning, and the sun shone brightly down at us. I knew it would only be an hour or so until the evening would come, which was quite unbelievable at the moment. It felt odd that so much had happened in just one day – it felt like a whole _month_ of experiences.

"There's something you want to talk about," Isaac stated while his eyes rested on the beautiful sky above of us.

"Yes," I said, not bothering about holding it off for later. "Something important."

He glanced down at my face, taking in how serious my facial expression had gotten. One of his dark brown eyebrows lifted upwards in an attempt to persuade me to talk, but I kept silent for a few seconds – just staring back at him.

The coldness from before was entirely gone, and the only icy thing left on his face was the beautiful color of his eyes. I didn't like how tense he was around Lucas, and I enjoyed the sight of the peaceful expression that was now visible on his face.

"It's about us moving," I finally said.

He nodded, mostly to himself, and I hesitated another while before I spoke again.

"I never heard the end of yours and Lucas'…conversation earlier today," I said, a bit more cautiously than before. "Is he…moving with us?"

Isaac's eyes darted up to the sky again without answering, but his silence was just as clear as if he'd said the answer out loud. Lucas was not coming.

"Do you have any idea where he is going then?" I asked.

Isaac shook his head while he kept his gaze at the sky, which had me suspicious. It was like he was hiding something from me and I didn't approve of that.

"He's not going to stay here, is he?" I asked, my voice sounding a bit more panicked now.

The idea of Lucas staying alone in my hometown without either me or Isaac here to stop him from doing something was very hard to even think.

Isaac turned his eyes to my face again, and he pulled us to a stop so that he could put his hands on either side of my face.

"No, no," he said slowly, almost soothingly.

The sudden panic inside of me faded slowly until it was completely gone, and I pulled in an unnecessarily deep breath.

"Well, where is he going then?" I asked after a short moment of silence.

"I don't know," Isaac answered a bit _too_ quickly.

I gave him a doubtful glance. "There's something you're not telling me."

"Yes," he said, his voice short.

"And you're not going to tell me what it is, huh?"

"Nope."

I rolled my eyes at his answer, feeling a wave of nostalgia sway through my body. It was just like when we'd first met, when I hadn't even known what he really was. Although it had only been a few months ago, it felt like something far behind us in the past. Like another aria.

I stood in silence for a short moment, while Isaac's eyes lingered on my face – making me feel slightly awkward.

Finally, I couldn't bare it. "Aren't there any smaller towns around here?" I asked.

It took him a second to reply. "Of course there are. Why do you wonder?"

"Well, I don't think moving to a big city will be very helpful. I've already had problems with the…thirst."

As if a proof to my words, the aching in my throat suddenly fired up, making it feel like it was literally burning in my mouth. Gladly, I'd already gotten so used to the feeling that it didn't take more than a few seconds for me to forget about it again.

"It shouldn't be a hinder for you if you really want to live in a bigger town," Isaac said, his tone assuring now. "Don't you want to see New York or Los An…"

A stab of pain hit me in the chest and it was obviously visible on my face, considering how Isaac's voice suddenly trailed off into silence.

"I'm so sorry," he murmured, suddenly stroking my face soothingly with the hands he already he had pressed against my cheeks. "Forget I said that."

"It's okay," I mumbled, trying to smoothen my facial expression.

He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again after only two seconds, obviously realizing that speaking wouldn't help very much at the moment. Of course it was ridiculous of me to react so strongly of just the name of the town I'd been about to move to, but it was hard to restrain the grief from spreading inside of me.

Isaac spoke after a few minutes, changing the subject.

"There was this town that Lucas and I passed by a while ago," he said, his voice exaggeratingly bright. "You can barely call it a town, though. It's more of a village."

A tiny spark of curiosity flared up inside of me.

"Where is it?" I asked, working to keep my tone casual – hiding the curiosity that burned behind my words.

Isaac smiled slightly as he noticed the emotion in my voice.

"I believe it was near Denver," he said, the smile intact on his lips. "It's not too far from here."

Although I had no actual idea of how the town – or village – looked or was like, I liked the idea of not having to move so far from here.

"It sounds…interesting," I said, this time with a tiny smile on my lips. "There's only one problem, though."

A flash of worry stroke across Isaac's eyes. "What would that be?"

"Just the tiny thing called legitimacy," I hinted.

The smile appeared on Isaac's lips again. "You forget that I've been traveling for over 40 years without difficulty," he said lightly.

"That doesn't make you sound like a 16-year-old, you know," I laughed.

His smile widened in response to my words, causing another light burst of laughter to escape my lips. I had to admit it – he was amazing at distracting me.

"It was different when you were traveling with Lucas, though," I said after my laughter had trailed off into silence. "He's ten years older than you."

The smile didn't disappear from his lips as he spoke. "It's not that different. We only have to get an identification for you, and then there will be no problems."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You mean _fake_ identification?"

"Sort of," he admitted.

I rolled my eyes, deciding to let it go, and lifted my gaze to the blue sky. It was merely blue anymore, though – the sun had unnoticeably set while we'd been out here, giving the sky a dark color.

As I glanced up there, I realized that there was one thing I had to do before we left – which I assumed would be quite soon.

"There's something I would like to do," I started, keeping my eyes on the sky. "Before we move."

Isaac's tone was suddenly hesitant. "And what is that?"

"Well, I've lived here for over sixteen years now. It would feel wrong to leave without…saying goodbye."

"I don't think seeing people in town is the best idea right now."

My eyes darted back to his face. "I didn't mean the citizens. The town is what I'll really miss."

Realization brightened up in his eyes, and he was suddenly smiling again.

"How about doing that tomorrow?" he suggested, giving the sky a meaningful glance.

"Tomorrow sounds perfect," I agreed before I reached up on my toes to press my lips lightly against his.

He moved his hands from my cheeks so that he could wrap his arms around my back, and thereby lift me up slightly so that I wouldn't have to stand on my toes to be able to kiss him. It was just like before everything had happened – before everything had gotten so complicated. I didn't want the kiss to end so that we would have to get back to the house, where I knew Isaac would get tense and cold again, and so I locked my arms around his neck to hold him close while the moon slowly took its place on the sky.

Neither of us noticed.

* * *

The cardboard boxes that surrounded me were very confusing, all labeled differently. I hadn't done very much to help with the packing, but how was I supposed to pack down furniture and paintings that in fact didn't even belong to me? So I let Isaac and Lucas do the biggest job, while I kept myself positioned on the floor of the living room at the bottom story, just watching while the two brothers darted around in the house. I still hadn't gotten to know where Lucas was going to move, and neither had I gotten any clues. All I knew was that he did not want any of the belongings of the house – a fact that surprised me.

Only a day had passed since Isaac had told me about the village, but both of us had agreed on moving as fast as possible – the reason why everything in the house was coming down in boxes or being placed in the hallway.

At the moment I was waiting for Isaac to get ready to go with me to the town so that I could get a proper goodbye of it. Although I didn't want to admit it, I wasn't quite sure if he actually remembered it now as the sun was starting to get lower and lower on the sky.

"Isaac," I called when a few minutes had passed.

In the split of a second, footsteps rushed down the stairs and he was suddenly standing a foot away from me, eyeing me curiously.

"It's tomorrow today," I hinted, just to realize a second later how strange that sentence sounded.

He chuckled at my confusing words.

"You remember, right?" I asked, doubt building up in my voice.

A gentle smile began playing around the corners of his mouth, and he took a step forward to be able to offer his hand to me. I took it cautiously, not sure what to take his smile for an answer.

"Of course I do," he assured me when he saw the hesitant look in my eyes.

I let a relieved smile tug the corners of my lips upwards, and followed with happy steps as he lead me out from the house and towards the black Mercedes that was parked a few feet away. The surface of the car glossed in the sunshine – reminding me of how expensive it must have been.

"Would you mind letting me drive?" I asked, not really expecting him to say _yes_.

"There's just one problem," he said, giving me a mocking glance which I couldn't understand.

"What?"

"Just the tiny thing called a driver's license," he smiled.

I gave him a scowl. "You let me drive once before."

"Because I wasn't allowed to come with you, remember?"

My scowl turned into a pleading glance as I looked up at his face.

"Please?" I asked, fluttering slightly with my eyelashes.

He laughed, but held up the car key – making it glitter by the light of the sunrays. I held my hand open – palm up – and he dropped it there, causing me to smile smugly.

As I sat down on the driver's seat, the nervousness finally hit me, but I kept it off my face as Isaac got in on the seat beside me. I could feel his eyes on my face as I started the engine, but I kept my gaze locked straight ahead – not wanting to collide into a tree or the house as I started steering the car towards the highway.

"I apologize in advance if I drive off the road," I muttered, too concentrated on keeping the car stable to keep my voice polite.

He chuckled at my serious tone, but kept himself from saying anything. I actually started feeling quite self-confident as we reached the first stores of the town, and I felt a smug smile appear on my lips again. Isaac chuckled again, and I dared to throw a quick glance at his face. He was still watching me, smiling, too.

As I moved my eyes straight ahead again, I noticed where we actually were now. Just a yard away, a large, white house towered up from the ground. The grass of the lawn was long and swayed around the corners of the building, but everything looked just like it always had.

I stomped down on the brake pedal with so much force that Isaac had to put both of his hands on the dashboard to avoid smashing his head into the window, but I kept my eyes on the house in front of me – too caught up by it to apologize for my behavior. It wasn't just any house;

It was _my_ old house.


	13. Goodbyes

**_This chapter got a bit longer than I'd expected it to, but I assume that it's only a good thing… ;) _**

**_Anyways, thanks for the great reviews for the last chapters. Even though I don't always reply to them, I still read and appreciate them just as fully :) So just keep on with the awesome reviewing, and I will absolutely be able to make the following chapters as long as this one ;D_**

I stared at the house while all of the memories washed over me, and I half-consciously opened to the car door to step outside. Isaac's hand fingers were suddenly wrapped around my arm, holding me back in my seat.

"Jessica, I told you that meeting people right now is not very appropriate," he said.

I glanced back at his face, but kept my hand gripped around the handle to the car door.

"But it's my old house," I said, sounding strangely childlike.

"Are you sure no one lives there?" he asked, raising his eyebrow at me.

I cocked my head to the side, listening for a few seconds.

"It's quiet," I finally said.

"I know that, but what if…"

"I just want to see it," I interrupted before I ripped my hand out of his grip and swiftly jumped out of the car before he could come up with any other words to stop me.

I took a quick glance around me before I crossed the street, feeling relieved that only a few single humans strolled around in the sunshine – the order from the police was not totally as strict as before, but of course the most of the citizens still took it seriously. After all, it was only me, Isaac and Lucas who knew that the danger was gone.

After only two seconds, I could easily hear how a car door behind me opened and before I could even have time to glance over my shoulder, Isaac was walking right beside me as if he'd been there all the time.

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" he asked, true concern in his voice.

My eyes darted to his face as I heard his tone, but he wasn't looking straightly at me – he was only constantly throwing worried glances in my direction, as if I was about to collapse any second.

"I just want to see it," I repeated. "What's wrong about that?"

His eyes continued wailing between my face and the white house while he spoke. "Nothing. I just don't want you to get upset."

"Upset about what?" I asked, starting to feel truly confused.

He shook his head in – what I assumed was – disbelief before he grabbed my arm again, pulling me to a stop just a foot away from my destination.

"This house probably has a lot of history to you," he said in a serious tone. "Are you sure you want to remember all of that?"

I stared into his eyes for a long second. "I'm sure."

He held my gaze for another moment before he let go of my arm and turned to the house again, still looking the slightest anxious. I grabbed his hand as I started walking again and tried to ignore how tense his fingers were. It was almost as if he was anticipating the worst reaction from me.

Of course I knew even before I tried the handle to the front door that it would be locked – why would it not be? – but I still felt a faint wave of disappointment sway through me. How was I supposed to get inside there?

"Are the windows locked, too?" Isaac asked, surprising me.

I didn't even have to think through the answer. "Only the ones on the bottom floor."

He flashed me a tiny smile before he started walking to the corner of the house – tugging me gently along.

"Are we going to break in?" I asked as we walked to the backside of the house, disbelief and shock audible in my voice.

"I wouldn't say break in," he disagreed. "And besides, I thought you were the one who wanted to get inside?"

I shrugged, dropping it. I was far more eager about getting to see the inside of the house I'd lived in for so long than to care about that it was not actually…legal. We were leaving this town anyway.

As we reached the side of the house where no one could see us, Isaac skidded to a halt and glanced up at a window at the second story.

"And how are we getting up there?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

He turned his gaze to my face, and I could suddenly notice a hint of a familiar amusement hiding in his ice blue eyes.

"Get up on my back," he ordered, his tone just as humored as his eyes.

"What?" I asked in a voice that was nearly a shocked hiss.

He only stared expectantly at me, and I wrapped my arms across my chest while I stared stubbornly back.

"You know, I'm just as capable as you…," I started, but he interrupted me.

"Just get up," he said with a roll of his eyes.

I remained still for another moment before I finally gave up and went to stand behind him so that I could lock my arms around his neck. Before I got the chance to make another move, his hands swooped under my knees and he used my sudden unstableness to place me on his back.

"I could do it myself," I muttered, but he only chuckled in response.

Through the thin, light blue shirt – almost matching the color of his eyes precisely – I could easily feel how the muscles of his upper body tensed as he prepared himself for whatever he was about to do. Then, a second later, he nearly jumped upwards in the air and sprang up the wall of the house, making it seem like it was no harder than running on the ground. An exuberant giggle escaped my lips before I could stop it – the feeling of flying up in the air was far more exciting than it had ever been, and not at all frightening.

As he reached the window he'd obviously been planning on getting to, his right hand gripped the thin window frame while the left one started working on getting the window open.

"We're seriously screwed if anyone sees us," I laughed, too high-spirited to keep my tone normal.

"What would anyone be doing in the backyard of this house?" he replied, his voice still amused.

Although he was literally hanging a few feet in the air with me on his back and the only support a thin and breakable window frame, he spoke just as normally and casually as if he'd been standing on the ground. His breath was not even ruffled – his chest continued rising and sinking in a normal speed under my hands that were flung around his neck.

I deliberately avoided glancing down at the ground, afraid of what memory I was sure to think of then, as he finally managed to make the window slide silently open. He gracefully heaved himself up on the window frame while I continued clinging onto him and jumped down on the floor with a light thud. I hanged on to him a little longer, feeling all mixed up; the exhilaration from the experience and the worry from being high up in the air were making me slightly lightheaded.

Finally, Isaac lifted his hands to mine and tugged at my fingers to make them ease up. I blinked once before I slid off his back and landed on the familiar wooden floor of the house. It was not until now that I realized we were actually inside the house.

I glanced around me in the hallway we were standing in, feeling the memories wash over me again. They were not painful like Isaac obviously had expected them to be – I felt a smile curve the corners of my mouth upwards as I remembered my time in this house.

"Jessica," Isaac said, calling me back to reality.

"M-hm?" I mumbled, still glancing around me in wonder.

"We're just going to be here for a short while," he said in the beautiful voice of his, but I could only half-listen to it as I began walking slowly down the hallway, meanwhile stroking my hand over the pale wallpaper.

It tingled slightly in my fingers as I wandered towards the stairs that would lead me to the first story, and Isaac's voice continued as a soft murmur in the background.

"Jessica!" he suddenly burst out, obviously exasperated.

I spun around to look at him, shocked by his sudden exclaim.

"Sorry," I said apologetically . "What were you saying?"

He sighed, but there was no true irritation there. "We can't stay here for too long – someone might show up. I don't think there's any explanation for our appearance here to tell that person."

"I kno…"

"I wasn't done," he interrupted softly, and I closed my mouth to let him continue. "There's another reason for us to hurry, too. I was planning on getting ready with the packing so that we can leave as soon as possible."

I nodded, well aware of how his eyes scrutinized my face intently while he spoke. Again, obviously expecting some horrible reaction from me. I couldn't really blame him, though – not after having him seeing me cry so many times that I'd probably be able to fill a whole bucket with the salt water that had welled over in my eyes this past month.

"I'm done now," he said with the slightest hint of a smile on his lips.

I nodded again, not quite sure what to say, before I turned around again to proceed on my way to the stairs. Not only could I hear his light footsteps as he followed behind me, I could almost _feel_ his breath on my neck while I walked down the staircase to the first story. Every step I took, a new memory flashed through my mind – how I'd always run down these stairs as a child, how I'd stumbled down at the mornings with the smell of pancakes or any other kind of breakfast filling my nose, how I'd slowly made my way down with the crutches I'd been forced to use…There were so many things I could recall from my past.

The thing was that none of the memories actually made me sad. Not even when I entered the kitchen and remembered how my life had used to be before when my mother had been there made my eyes fill up with tears. Instead, a smile appeared on my lips every time I could think of something special that had happened in every corner of the house.

Like I'd kind of expected already, the house was empty from furniture and belongings – no one had moved in here since I'd left about a month ago.

Isaac only walked silently behind me, sometimes hesitating while obviously remembering things on his own. In a way, he seemed more touched by those memories than I was of mine. Like I'd said to him, I wanted a proper goodbye of everything. And this was the perfect goodbye for me.

"I…I think I'm ready to go," I said when a long time had passed – Isaac had forgotten about what he'd said about hurrying before.

He grabbed my hand from behind me and spun me around to read my face for a second, while I only stared uneasily back at him – not really sure of what to say or do.

"I'll just go and close the window upstairs," he finally said before dashing out of the kitchen we were standing in – I'd gotten stuck in the room after taking a whole tour around the house.

I walked over to the fridge while I waited for him to return and opened it in a swift move. It was just as empty as the rest of the house. I closed it again without bothering giving it a closer look, and went over to the kitchen worktop and hopped up there.

I could hear Isaac return before he showed up in the doorway to the room – the sound of his light footsteps were easy for my ears to catch even from the second story.

"Shall we?" he asked, glancing back over his shoulder at what I assumed was the front door.

"In a minute," I replied before I clapped on the space beside me, hoping for him to understand what I was trying to say.

Of course he did.

With quick, yet graceful steps he walked over to where I was sitting and heaved himself up on the furniture I was placed on. He grabbed my hand with his before I'd even thought of it and I leaned slightly towards him so that I could rest my head against the shoulder.

"You remember the last time we were in this kitchen, right?" I asked in a mumble.

He chuckled in true amusement. "You didn't know how to make your breakfast."

My gaze turned into a scowl, but since I wasn't looking at him he couldn't notice.

"Right," I said icily – of course that was what he had to remember.

Another chuckled escaped his lips before he spoke. "And then when you were done, you dropped the plate to the floor and broke it."

"That was actually your fault," I muttered, still slightly irritated.

"All I did was to kiss you," he laughed.

I could feel my face soften up in a smile in response to his words, and I sat silently for a few seconds.

"Is there any reason why you're bringing this up?" he asked when I hadn't said anything for a short while. A smile was clearly audible in his voice.

"Not really," I answered, half-lying.

"Jessica?" he prompted, detecting the false note in my tone.

I sighed. "It's nothing, really. I was just wondering if you…miss that time. When I was still warm and…human."

He jumped down from the counter and moved to stand in front of my, while the hand that wasn't already gripping mine curved softly around my cheek so that he could hold my face in place while his gaze locked with mine.

"Nothing has changed for me," he said sincerely, the smile washed from his face. "You're just as warm and lovely as you've always been, Jessica."

I sat in silence again, only looking into his ice blue eyes. After a few seconds, the serious expression vanished from his face and was replaced by a teasing look.

"And now I don't have to worry that you might break your leg again," he added, smiling at me with teasing amusement coming to the surface in his eyes.

"Very funny," I muttered sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

He laughed lightly once more before he turned slightly serious again.

"We should probably get going now," he said. "If you're ready."

I nodded – mostly to myself – before I got down to the floor, too, while keeping his fingers entwined with mine. As we walked towards the front door, I couldn't help but to glance back at the kitchen, feeling the last memories flash through my mind. It was not until we reached the door that I came to my senses again.

"Won't anyone notice if we come out of the house?" I asked, tugging at Isaac's hand to make him pull to a stop.

He flashed me a genuine smile. "Look outside, Jessica."

I gave him a suspicious glance, and he rolled his eyes before he unlocked the front door and swiftly pulled it open. In a second, I realized what he'd been trying to tell me.

The sky was pitch black except for those spots where tiny, twinkling stars glittered against the dark background. We'd been in the house longer than I'd assumed.

"Oh," was all I could say while Isaac shut the door behind us and started leading me towards the car that was still parked across the street.

As I got into the Mercedes' comfortable seat, I threw a last glance at the white house of my childhood, taking in exactly how it looked. How the deep green grass swayed around the corners of it, how the white color had flaked off slightly just below the point where the roof was placed…My thoughts were interrupted when Isaac pressed his foot down on the gas pedal, causing the car to fly forwards.

And then we were on our way to my other home.

* * *

The two following days passed in a flash – all that we did was to pack and prepare the move. After what seemed like forever, but was really just about 30 hours, the house was just as empty as my old house. Almost all of the furniture were shoved into the tight area of a cart that was attached to the black Mercedes and there was only one thing left for me to do before Isaac and I were going to head towards the small town we were moving to.

I walked down the hallway of the house with hesitant steps, knowing well what I was about to do. Isaac was following silently behind me, but I could feel the tension radiating from his body. He was definitely not pleased with what I wanted to do – or more likely, it was _who_ I was about to go to that disturbed him.

I still had to do it, though. I couldn't leave without giving the last goodbye, although that certain goodbye probably would be the hardest one to say.

As I reached the door I'd been searching for, I skidded to a halt, causing Isaac to do the same.

"I won't take long," I said in a low tone. "You can go and put the last things in the car."

"I'll stay as near as I can," he said, obviously not approving to my suggestion.

I rolled my eyes – his worry was not necessary.

"Well, at least I'll try not to listen," he said, his tone suddenly light with teasing. I could hear the real edge that hinted deep in his voice, though, but I pretended not to notice.

"You better not," I warned, my voice much more serious than his.

He chuckled at my grave tone. "I'll do my best."

"Isaac…"

Before I could complete another warning sentence, he swiftly spun around to walk back the way we'd gotten here. Just as he turned to walk down the staircase, I managed to catch a glimpse of his facial expression. The smoothness from before was merely there, revealing the more anxious side of him that I'd seen many times before.

I suppressed a sigh before I hesitantly lifted my hand to smack it lightly against the wooden door. Before my fist could reach it, the door flew open – revealing Lucas standing in the doorway. His long, dark brown hair was not gathered in its usual ponytail; it hung loosely down to his shoulders, making him look more casual. His green eyes were colder than I'd ever seen them, but they were filled with a burning emotion that I could not quite understand.

"Ehm…," I started, slightly side-tracked. "Can I come in for a sec?"

He only nodded; a tiny fracture of movement with his head. I took an uncertain step into the room before I half-turned around to close the door behind me. As I spun around again, he was standing across the room with his back towards me – staring straight into the wall.

"What do you want?" he asked, sounding utterly toneless.

My eyebrows furrowed together in a frown as I heard his cold tone. "Nothing. I just wanted to…say goodbye properly."

He threw a quick glance over his shoulder at me before he turned around so that I could see his face again. The cold and smooth expression he'd worn before seemed to have melted off his face, and had now been replaced by a sadness so deep that I glanced down at the floor to avoid seeing it.

A swooshing sound was heard as he darted back to stand directly in front of me, and I lifted my gaze up to his face again.

"You haven't even considered it, have you?" he asked, surprising me.

I stared at him for a few seconds, perplexed.

"Considered what?" I finally asked.

"Choosing me instead of him," he said slowly, his tone deep with the same emotion in his eyes – an emotion I couldn't recognize from before.

My mouth fell open with an audible popping sound. "What?"

"I know I've treated you badly before," he said, staring intently into my eyes. "But trust me, Jessica, I've changed."

The shock faded from me as the tiredness and irritation spread inside of me.

"Changed?" I asked, my voice a bit calmer than I'd expected it to be. "Do you think that will really change anything?"

He sighed, but before he could say anything, I turned around to march over to the door. I didn't want to risk snapping at him or starting a fight – it didn't feel like a nice way to say goodbye. Not after everything that had already happened between us during the short time I'd known him.

A strong hand gripped my arm before I could take a single step, and I was suddenly spun around to face him again.

"Listen to me," he said, his tone a furious growl.

I only stared at him, too shocked to utter a word.

"Look," he sighed, sounding tired instead of angry now. "All I want to know is if you even bothered considering your other options."

I glanced down from his face before I answered. "There _are_ no options to think through, Lucas."

"That's not true."

I let out a sigh. "I love Isaac and I am going to marry him. That is my choice and it will always be."

"I take that as a no to my question."

Another sigh escaped my lips before I shook my arm free from his tight grip. Well, I _tried_ to.

As he noticed what I was doing, his hand tightened - as if to hold me still – and his other hand suddenly curved around my cheek.

"Hey!" I hissed, but he ignored me.

With his hand still pressed against my cheek, he leaned in towards me with an emotion in his eyes that I could easily recognize.

"Don't even try," I warned just as his face was an inch away from mine, and he leaned back again with a forlorn sigh.

I felt a small wave of pain roll through me as I realized that my rejection probably hurt him more than I could imagine, and I had to swallow once to get rid of the lump that wanted to build up in my throat. I couldn't stop myself from feeling bad for him.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled.

His only answer was to stare at my face, so I pulled in a deep breath before I said the last words that needed to be said.

"Goodbye, Lucas."

Again, he didn't answer me.

I remained still for a second before I turned around to open the door, and this time he didn't stop me. My feet dragged as I walked down the stairs to the front door of the house, but I kept going until I reached the point where the black Mercedes was parked outside in the sunshine.

In the flash of a second, Isaac was standing in front of me.

"What's wrong?" he asked while his hands pressed against either side of my face. "Did anything happen?"

It took me a few seconds to understand why he was so worried; tears had unconsciously filled up in my eyes and were now running down my cheeks.

"I'm fine," I said, my voice as calm as I could make it.

His eyes bored into mine for a long second before he nodded, accepting my words.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked, sounding brighter than before.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I murmured.

He flashed a beautiful smile at me before his hands disappeared from my face as he walked around me to hold the door to the passenger seat open for me. I couldn't stop a tiny smile from appearing on my lips as I sank down on the seat, but that smile disappeared a second later when I glanced up at the dark house. In one of the windows of the third story, I thought I caught the glimpse of Lucas' icy green eyes.

I barely noticed when Isaac got in the car as well – my eyes were focused on the window. There was something sparkling in the green eye I was watching – sparkling just as brilliantly as the ring on my finger did. A second later, I realized what the glittering came from. A tear.

Before I could react in any way, the car roared to life, and we were suddenly speeding away from the house. I kept my gaze on it – needing to half-turn in my seat to be able to do so – until the first trees of the forest began blocking my view.

And then, a second later, it was gone.


	14. Welcome

**Welcome**

"You've got to be kidding me!" I gasped in disbelief, staring with my eyebrows raised at the legitimacy card in my hands. "18 years old?"

From the corner of my eye I saw how Isaac smiled, obviously amused by my tone.

"I'm serious, Isaac," I said, my voice taking onto a high-pitched tone. My eyes darted up to his face while I spoke, trying to make him take me seriously. "No one will actually believe that I'm _eighteen_."

He glanced over at my face, taking his eyes off the road we drove over. "Why wouldn't they believe so?"

"Because I barely look seventeen!" I exclaimed.

His smile grew wider as my tone changed again, and I scowled at him, feeling as annoyed as I always felt when he stared at me with such amusement. Which of course only made him chuckle.

"Of course you do," he assured me after his laughter had silenced.

I stared doubtingly at him, and he chuckled again before his expression turned slightly more serious.

"How do you think they'll react if we tell them that we're sixteen?" he asked.

I glanced down at my hands – which lay flatly on my lap – as I realized that he was right, and sat silently for a minute while I felt his eyes on my face. It didn't scare me that he wasn't looking at the road, like it had done when I'd been human. I knew how fast his reactions were – there was probably not a single chance that he might drive off the road or collide into another car.

His finger was suddenly under my chin, tilting my head up again and slightly to the left so that my eyes would meet his.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, his voice changing from humored to concerned.

I shook my head, smiling slightly to assure him that I was fine. Of course he saw through me anyway.

"Jessica, tell me."

I sighed. "It's nothing, really. I guess I just have a hard time adjusting to the fact that we're moving."

"Everything will be fine," he said in an assuring tone. "It's just going to take some time to get used to it."

"It might take a long time, Isaac," I said with another sigh. "For sixteen years I've stayed in the same place, with the same family and friends. And now everything is going to change."

He grabbed my hand soothingly and held it tightly without saying anything. I wasn't sure if he just didn't know how to response to my words, or if he simply sensed that nothing he said would change my feelings at the moment, but I appreciated the silence. It gave me a chance to think.

Although I tried very hard not to think about it, I couldn't stop myself from feeling guilty for leaving Lucas like this. Even after everything he'd done to me, it still hurt inside of me when I thought of how lonely he must be now without the brother he'd lived with for over fifty years. And I knew that deep down, beyond the layer of fury, Isaac felt the same way as me inside.

For the two hours I'd spent in the car now, a lump had constantly been building up in my throat the second I started thinking about Lucas. His name was like a weak echo in my head, repeatedly reminding me of how horrible I should feel inside of me every time I got distracted by either the glistening sun up on the sky or the extraordinarily beautiful person sitting beside me. I just couldn't completely get it off my mind for more than half a minute.

"There's something else, isn't there?" Isaac asked gently after a long moment of silence.

I glanced up from my hands and first now realized that my eyebrows had furrowed together in a frown. I quickly smoothened my facial expression; I honestly didn't feel like talking about Lucas at the moment, especially not since I knew how uncomfortable and tense the silence in the car would get afterwards.

My eyes shifted down to my hands as I tried to come up with something else to say before Isaac would get suspicious about my silence, and my gaze immediately focused on the sparkling ring on the fourth finger of my right hand.

I looked up at his face again, this time with a tiny smile on my lips.

"I was just thinking about the plans for the wedding," I said, hoping that he wouldn't detect any hint of untruth in my voice.

He raised his eyebrow suspiciously at me. "It looked more like you were worrying about it."

"No, I…," I bit my lip, hesitating for a second. "I was just deep in thought."

He didn't lower his eyebrow, and neither did the suspicion drain from his face as he stared at me in silence.

"Don't you have any plans about it?" I asked, trying to force him to talk.

He continued with his staring, and I let out a frustrated sigh, which caused a surprised expression to flicker across his face before he went back to being suspicious.

"Fine!" I exclaimed with another sigh. "But remember that you asked for it," I added.

My way of giving up was apparently amusing to him, because the mask of suspicion washed away from his face and was replaced by a smile – a smile that, although I didn't approve of him finding my actions humoring, was so beautiful that the frustration vanished from me.

"I'll keep that in mind," he promised, still smiling.

I shook my head to myself before I spoke – I was so going to regret myself for bringing this up. Isaac only watched my head's movements with the smile intact on his lips, totally oblivious to how troubled I knew my face already had started to look.

"It's about Lucas," I said slowly, keeping my eyes on his face while I spoke.

There was only the slightest tightening of his eyes as my words sunk in, but I knew him well enough to know that the emotions were burning fiercely just beneath the surface of his smooth facial expression. The smile that had spread across his face a few seconds ago was still left, but it looked more like a grimace than a smile.

I sighed and lowered my gaze to my hands. I wanted so badly for things to go back to how they were before Lucas had kissed me, and even further back to when I hadn't even met Lucas. Back to when things were easy and uncomplicated, when Isaac had been the teasing, high-spirited 16-year-old who'd brightened up my dull life. Ever since Lucas had become a part of our lives, the anxious part of Isaac that had been aged – aged by the many years that had passed him by – had grown bigger and bigger.

I couldn't say that he was the only one who had changed, though. Despite my efforts to just forget about every hard part I'd been through, I couldn't escape noticing how the worry had taken its toll on me. I couldn't even remember clearly the last time I'd felt just like a normal teenager, and I knew that I'd probably never feel that way again…

"What about him?" Isaac suddenly asked, interrupting my thoughts.

A new sigh erupted my lips as his question brought me back to the moment. "Nothing. Forget I said anything."

"But…"

"No," I interrupted, sounding utterly strict.

The pained smile on his lips changed back to an amused one, and I almost rolled my eyes at the swift change of his features. It was more than easy to see how he'd lightened up during the time in the car, and I knew well what was the reason behind that. Unfortunately, that certain reason had made me feel exactly the opposite of Isaac.

"I do actually…"

"I said no," I interrupted before he could say more, determined to forget about the previous subject.

An amused chuckle escaped him. "Can you let me finish?"

I stared at him for a second before the realization hit down on me, making me feel like a complete idiot. He hadn't been about to say anything about our last topic, and I'd stopped him anyhow.

"What I was going to say was that I do actually have some plans about the wedding," he said, still as humored as before.

"Oh," I mumbled.

He continued speaking after another short burst of laughter had erupted his lips. "Well, to make up for my extremely lame proposal – if you can even call it a proposal…"

"It was not lame at all," I broke in.

"Yes, it was," he disagreed.

"No…"

"Do you want to hear about my plans or argue about this for half an hour?" he interrupted with a teasing smile on his lips.

I resisted the urge to stuck my tongue out at him like a five-year-old, and his smile grew wider as he saw how the corners of my mouth twitched slightly as I focused on composing my face.

After a few seconds of silence, he finally decided to continue speaking.

"So since I want this to be a hundred times better than the proposal, I thought that we could arrange a bigger wedding than you'd probably planned on."

"And how…"

"I'm coming to that part," he interrupted just as he steered the car off the highway we'd been driving over and onto a smaller road. "I was thinking of making it as a surprise, but since you mentioned it earlier…"

While he spoke, the highway disappeared from behind us and long, wavering grass took place on either side of the road. It looked so peaceful that for a second I got completely lost by the view that I didn't realize that Isaac's voice had trailed off into silence.

I glanced back at his face and found him staring at my face with raised eyebrows, not giving the road any attention.

"Sorry," I apologized. "You were saying?"

He rolled his eyes at me, not offended at all by my behavior. I couldn't remember any time that he'd actually gotten angry at me, even though I knew I didn't treat him as good as I knew I should.

"I'll tell you when we're there," he said with a new smile on his lips. "Which is in about half a minute."

I glanced at the digital clock on the dashboard in surprise and just then realized that another thirty minutes had passed just as quickly as the rest of the time in the car had. I'd gotten quite used to how the time seemed to rush by even faster when I was with Isaac, though.

Just as he'd predicted, it only took merely half a minute for the landscape around us to change into what could only be described as a small forest, and housetops got visible behind the trees only a few hundred meters away. I slumped back slightly in my seat, knowing only too well that it wouldn't just be the town that would be fully visible soon; the citizens would surely be around there somewhere, bringing their irresistible scent with them.

Isaac kept his gaze locked on me as he drove, taking in every motion my body made. It felt a bit uncomfortable, knowing that he wouldn't escape noticing a single thing, but yet it was somehow flattering. Would I ever be able to fully get past the way my skin seemed to tingle slightly were his eyes were resting, or how only the presence of him could actually fill me with a comforting feeling of safeness?

The car suddenly pulled to a stop and both Isaac and I sat still for a long moment, taking in our surroundings. On either side of us, tall and majestic trees towered up from the ground, making the area look smaller than it really was. The ground was covered with dark green, slightly damp grass that swayed with a light breeze, except for a small stony path that was meant for cars to drive upon. And as if to add up to the already marvellous image, the sun shone down from the deep blue, cloud-free sky – making everything glitter in various colors of the rainbow.

But still, that wasn't was had the two of us frozen into place.

A few feet away from the car, a crowd of about twenty humans stood – all with welcoming smiles on their lips. I was glad that the walls of the car isolated me from the scents that I knew would be hanging like a cloud in the air, and I dreaded for the moment when I would have to open the door and face it.

Isaac seemed to notice my terrified facial expression because he squeezed my hand soothingly once before his fingers loosened up, and he opened the door to the driver's seat.

"Isaac," I hissed after him just as he took a step outside into the blinding sunshine, and he turned around to flash me a brilliant smile.

"Just relax, Jessica," he said in such a low voice that no one but me could catch the words. "You'll do perfectly fine. I know you will."

"But…"

He turned around again before I could continue my sentence, and shut the door close behind him before he casually walked over to the side of the car where I sat. With the smile intact on his lips, he held the door open for me, giving me no other option than to get out of the car as well. I kept my facial expression smooth as I swiftly got out of the Mercedes but I knew that, behind the sunglasses that I'd gotten so used to wearing when I was outside that I'd forgotten that these people wouldn't find my eye color that strange, my eyes glinted slightly as the scent of blood filled my nose and made my throat ache wildly.

"If anything happens, I swear that I will blame _you_ for it," I muttered quietly.

He chuckled lightly just as we pulled to a stop in front of the humans, which caused some of them to cast surprised glances at his face, before their facial expressions turned warm and welcoming again. I reflexively cringed closer to Isaac, aware of how easily I could snap out of the tight control I tried to keep on myself. His arm wound around my shoulders in an attempt to make it look more casual.

"Mr. Fall!" a short and roundly formed woman with long, sand brown hair suddenly called out – causing me to wince in surprise.

A second later I felt the paranoia struck me; the way she said his last name was like she'd heard it and pronounced it so many times before, not just as if she'd read it in the contract of the house he'd bought here. It was the way you spoke to someone you were acquainted with, not someone you hadn't even met.

Without waiting for a response from Isaac, the woman turned to me and flashed me a warm, yet unsure smile. I only stared at her, too mixed up with emotions to be polite.

"You must be…Mrs. Fall?" Her uncertainty made the words a question, but I was much too confused to bother doing anything than just stare at her.

Isaac squeezed my shoulders gently once, trying to make me snap out of my frozen position, and I blinked once in shock.

"Ehm, soon to be," I corrected in a low voice, feeling uncomfortable by the way everyone seemed to have their eyes on me.

The woman's smile widened. "Well, isn't that lovely."

I tried to smile – without succeeding, though – as an uneasy feeling swirled around like small butterflies in my stomach. I'd never met this woman ever before, and I was a hundred percent sure about that, but yet she spoke as if I wasn't a total stranger. But what confused me even more was that Isaac acted exactly the same. He'd said he and Lucas had only passed by this small town a while ago, but I was now slowly starting to suspect that his words might not have been entirely true. Or had that been what he'd been about to tell me in the car?

As if to add up to my already growing suspicion, a raspy and strained voice was suddenly heard from the back row of the people.

"You haven't changed at all, Isaac, have you?"

I reached up on my toes, straining to see over the tops of the heads in front of me to find out who had just spoken. It didn't take more than two seconds for me to find the owner of the voice – it was more than obvious who it could be.

Farthest away from us, half-hidden behind the humans that surrounded me and Isaac, an old woman with long hair with the fair color of white stood, resting her weight on a wooden stick that was held firmly in her right hand. Her ocean blue eyes were squinting slightly – an effect of the blinding sun – and her face was layered in wrinkles, making her look older than she probably was. Her body looked awfully tiny and fragile, as if her bones were about to snap any second. In a way, she reminded me oddly much of the kind of lady from the older days that told the kids scary stories to make them behave well and obey their parents.

Isaac froze slightly as he heard that voice, and I glanced up at his face just in time to see how the smile on his lips turned utterly strained. My left arm was tucked in between mine and his body, and I used that hand to tug slightly at the end of the light-colored shirt he was wearing, causing him to glance down at me in surprise. I gave him a meaningful look of confusion, only to realize a second later that he probably couldn't see my eyes clearly behind the sunglasses.

The woman with the sand brown hair suddenly spoke again, acting as if she hadn't heard the old lady's words.

"Maybe you two want to see the house and unpack a bit," she suggested.

Isaac turned his gaze to her face and nodded as a reply. His face was still strained – which of course only caused suspicion to grow even wider inside of me – but the woman didn't seem to notice his tenseness.

Without a goodbye, Isaac spun me around and led me back to the car, his arm a bit too tight around my shoulders. I assumed that it was my obvious suspicion that had him so tense, but there was also a small part of my mind that had taken notice of how he hadn't changed until after the older woman had spoken. Could her words be the reason behind his sudden mood swing?

"We'll have to catch up later," a voice called after us, but neither me nor Isaac glanced back at the person that had let out the words.

Isaac let go of me as we reached the car again, and I opened the door to my side without hesitation and nearly jumped onto the seat – eager to get back into the privacy of the inside of the car. A second later, Isaac got in, too, and sat silently while he waited for the crowd in front of us to disperse.

I turned in my seat so that it would be even more obvious that I was staring at him, and he almost unwillingly glanced over at my face. I waited a few seconds before I spoke, but when I did, my voice was far more severe than I'd ever even heard it myself before.

"You've got some serious explaining to do."

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Sorry if it took me some time to update – this chapter was a bit hard to write, due to a huge lack of inspiration, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's easy to notice it in my writing.

**_Anyways, you know how helping a few reviews would be, so just press that little blue button – it's not as exhausting as it may sound ;)_**


	15. History

**History**

**_Yet again, I have to apologize for my sluggish updating. School's out tomorrow, though, and I can promise you that I will spend as much time as I can writing chapters to the story ;)_**

**_I hope you enjoy the chapter, even though it got quite shorter than the others, and you know I'm counting on getting as many reviews as possible ;)_**

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Isaac's gaze lingered on my face for a few seconds before he finally spoke. The words that erupted his lips were not the ones I wanted to hear, though.

"I'll tell you when we get to the house."

I shook my head in disagreement. "I want to know now."

"It's better if…"

"Look, this is not some small, unimportant secret that you can keep from me. These people obviously know you, which is not only creeping me out but also leaving me completely confused."

Isaac waited until I was done with my short speech before he replied to my words.

"I know," he said in a low tone that was much calmer than mine. "I was about to tell you about it earlier, but it's a really long story."

"I've got time," I said shortly.

My curt tone made him smile slightly. "Don't you think it's better if we get to the house first?"

I only stared at him, hoping he would take that as an answer.

"It's a really long story," he said again, obviously hoping for me to give up.

"And you will save some time by just telling me," I countered.

He pulled in a deep breath before he spoke, and I stared at him in silence while I waited for him to start talking. When he did, he glanced up at the blue sky outside the car window, as if he could see something there that I could not.

"It was about three years ago, when Lucas and I," – I flinched slightly as I heard that name, but he continued without noticing – "had just went back to traveling around after being in Europe for a quite long period of time. We weren't planning on going to the larger cities – especially since I knew well how hard it was for Lucas to control himself – and that was when we got to this town. I was pretending to be fifteen so that we would be able to stay here for a long while before people would start getting suspicious. There was only one problem, though, that stopped us from staying as long as we wished for.

"Of all the citizens, there was only one person who did not welcome us with warmness. Anne Laurel was much older than the rest of the crowd, which was why she somehow was able to see through the human facade Lucas and I kept on. I don't think she knew exactly what we were, but it was easy to tell that she was not far from finding out.

"Lucas and I only stayed there for a few months since we didn't want to cause any problems. She never told the others about her suspicions, though, which was why we found it better to leave before anything spread out."

He paused for a short while, which was enough time for me to think about what he'd just told me. I could without difficulty understand who Anne Laurel was – the old woman with the long white hair and ocean blue eyes. What I couldn't understand, though, was why he hadn't told me about all of this before. If he'd known that such a person lived here, how could he even think the thought that we would be able to fit in with the people in this town?

"I sort of forgot about her, though, in my way of trying to figure out how to make the wedding better," he continued, as if he'd heard my thoughts. "I want it to be perfect, Jessica. And even though that wish of mine is quite hard to fulfill, I want to give it a shot."

"By moving to a town where people might actually know what we are?" I asked. I'd expected my voice to be frustrated or angry, but it was just plain shocked.

He glanced back at my face. "Only one person is suspecting something. The others are nothing but friendly."

"But why this town?" I asked, my tone getting more and more confused by every word that erupted my lips. "If you knew that this woman might know what we are, why did you choose this town? There are a lot of other places where_ friendly_ people live."

He sighed. "I told you I wanted to give you the perfect wedding. And I assumed that you wouldn't think that it was so perfect if there were no people there."

I sat in silence, finally seeing the image he'd obviously pictured in his head. Isaac and me, him dressed in a black tux and me in a beautiful wedding gown, twirling around over the floor of a church, encircled by dancing people with happy smiles on their lips. Although it took me some time, I finally realized why he'd chosen this town. Surely, there were a lot of other places that would have been just as beautiful as this was, but the people here were already acquainted with him – a fact that would make everything much easier.

Except that things wouldn't be that easy with Anne. I was instantly frightened of her, frightened of how she could ruin mine and Isaac's future by just telling someone else about her suspicions. And I realized that this was probably the reason why Isaac had gotten so tense when he'd heard her voice before.

I grabbed Isaac's hand before I spoke. "I truly appreciate the effort you've put behind this, but I don't care if it's only you and me. It will be just as perfect."

He smiled at me and leaned over to press his lips softly against mine for a few seconds. I couldn't fully return the kiss, though – the uncomfortable feeling from when I'd met the citizens of this town was still left like a lump in my stomach.

"What's wrong?" Isaac asked, leaning back again to give me a confused look.

I bit my lip as I hesitated for a second. "It's just that…those people are _creeping me out_."

He chuckled, a light and amused sound. The tenseness from before had vanished from him as quickly as if you'd turned off a switch.

"Seriously, Isaac," I said with my eyebrows raised. "I get that they know _you_, but they've never even met me and yet they're acting like I'm the lost member of the family who has just returned."

Another burst of light laughter escaped him before he started the engine of the car, and I rolled my eyes at his reaction. Was I really _that_ humorous?

* * *

The car rolled slowly – much too slowly – through the center of the town, and I sunk down in the seat during the whole ride, hoping that I could just sink into it fully and disappear. I was glad that my dark sunglasses covered my eyes – it was the only thing that stopped the people outside the car from seeing how my gaze turned into a scowl as I tried to _will_ them into looking away from me.

Isaac did not seem that uncomfortable with the attention, though, but I assumed that it was because most of the eyes were focused on me.

"You could drive a bit faster, you know," I mumbled as I leaned back even further into the car seat, desperately trying to get my wish fulfilled.

"They're just curious," Isaac said with a smile audible in his voice, obviously guessing the reason behind my words.

"Well, curiosity killed the cat," I muttered under my breath.

I could clearly hear how Isaac laughed in response, which did not exactly make me feel much better. I glared out at the people that looked inside the car as we drove to the area where Isaac had told me the house laid, but of course none of them noticed my angry look. I knew that I would probably have been just as curious as them if the roles had been the opposite, but at the moment I could only feel extremely frustrated and flustered.

Those emotions disappeared a while later, though, when we suddenly turned to the right and left the towns inner part behind us. The stores and people that had surrounded us before vanished, and was replaced by the same large, towering trees as the ones at the area where we'd stopped first. I glanced around me in wonder as the car started moving slightly faster, taking in how peaceful it all looked again.

The road went upwards slightly for a few seconds before the ground got plain again, and I could finally see the building I'd been waiting to see.

Even at the first sight, the house was just as lovely as its surroundings. The walls were made out of honey brown wood, which matched the darker color of the window frames and the front door. The lawn in front of the house had a beautiful dark green color, and the half-long grass was slightly damp, which made it glitter by the reflecting light of the sunrays that shone down brightly from the sky. Although the house had two stories, it still looked just as small and cozy as a cottage.

I stared at it in amazement while Isaac parked the car in front of it, completely lost in the beauty of it.

"Do you like it?" Isaac asked, bringing me out of my trance.

I shook my head with a tiny smile on my lips and glanced over at his face. His eyebrows were pulled together in a confused frown as he stared at my face, obviously not understanding what I meant.

"I love it," I explained while my smile widened.

His eyes cleared with bright understanding and it only took him a second to form a responding smile on his lips. He opened the door to his side and got up from his seat, and I sat still while I waited for him to proceed like he always did. Like I'd expected, he swiftly walked over to my side and opened the car door for me – acting like the gentleman he'd always been.

I got out of the car with the smile intact on my lips – the anger from before was all but forgotten now that we were alone – and he snatched my hand as we started walking towards the house. I didn't hesitate before pushing the handle to the front door down and my feet were eager as I took the first step into the beautiful building.

I froze in place as my eyes took in the beauty of the house we were standing in. The roof was layered quite lowly, yet it was not close to our heads, which made it look much cozier. The walls had the same honey color as the outside layer had, and the floor of dark wood matched it beautifully. Although it was empty of furniture, it was still marvellous enough to make me stand still for almost a minute as I tried to realize that this was my new home.

"It will look much better once we get some furniture inside," Isaac said, misreading my reaction. "It…"

"It's perfect," I broke in.

* * *

I sat on the wooden floor with my arms wrapped across my chest and a childlike frown on my face, while Isaac walked in and out of the house, each time carrying a new furniture. The amused smile on his lips never disappeared, even though it should've been hard enough to walk straightly while carrying such heavy things. Not that the weight bothered him at all – it probably felt just as light as carrying a feather for him.

Just like with the packing earlier, I was not allowed to do a single thing. Which was the reason why I was pouting in the corner of the room.

"You know," Isaac said as he entered the house for surely the twentieth time. "you could always go check out the rest of the rooms."

"I'm fine sitting here," I said sourly.

He stared at me for a few seconds, the smile intact on his lips, before he walked over to where I sat and bent down so that our faces would be on the same level.

"I know you want to see the rest of house," he said softly, still smiling.

"I can do that after I've helped you with the furniture," I said while struggling to keep the frown on my face. His smile made it hard for me to mope.

"Or you can just go and check out the rest of the house now. I'm finished soon anyway."

I stared at him for a short moment before I gave up with a sigh. I got swiftly to my feet, ignoring the way his smile only widened in response to my attitude, and walked over to the staircase that led up to the second floor. I glanced back over my should once, only to find him staring after me with amused eyes, before I hurried up the stairs.

The walls and the floor were just the same as on the first story, but there were three rooms there – two bedrooms and a large bathroom. I didn't really bother about the bathroom, so instead I walked slowly into one of the bedrooms, which was also the larger one. I assumed that the other one only had the purpose of being a guest room.

The room had light beige walls with the slightest tint of honey in them, which made it fit in with the rest of the house. The floor was just the same as at every other spot of the house, but there was something about the room that made it look much lighter than the other parts of the house. I was not sure if it was how the light from the windows shone in, or if it was the color of the wall, but it reminded me strongly of Isaac's old bedroom.

After standing in the empty room for over a minute, I walked over to the window that was placed on the west side of the room, which was also the side where you could get a good look of the center of the town. I put my elbows on the window frame and placed my hands on my neck, just below my jaw, so that my head could rest like that for a minute. The magnificent view outside the window caught my eyes for a long moment, and I sighed quietly at the beauty of it.

Although I knew I should feel nothing but happiness at the moment, I couldn't stop a wave of forlornness flood through me as my mind got occupied by the one thought that I'd tried escaping the whole day – without full success, though.

Where was Lucas?


	16. Repressed

**Repressed**

**_I truly hope that you guys don't get sick and tired of me – I really try to update as fast as I can. Strangely, the sun chose to shine this whole past week, and since Sweden is normally known as grey and dull, I just couldn't miss the opportunity to spend some time outside. _**

**_Like I think you've all noticed, the story is changing yet again – which is all because of my strange and sometimes lacking inspiration. I can promise you that more things will happen soon enough, but my mind is too dull to come up with drama and action for exactly every chapter of this story._**

**_I really appreciate all of your reviews – they really help me get on with the story – and I hope that I get to see a few more of them after uploading this chapter, even though it might not be one of the greatest )_**

**_/BeCkYbOnG_**

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"I actually don't feel quite well."

The pillow my face was pressed against made my words come out muffled, but I knew that Isaac would be able to fully hear them. For the past half hour he had unsuccessfully tried to talk me into coming with him to the town, and although I kept up with ignoring his pleading words as much as possibly, I had the feeling that he was just as stubborn as me of winning this argument.

Before I could even expect it, long fingers pried my hands open and pulled the soft cushion away from me in a swift move. I squeezed my eyes shut immediately, keeping up with my childish behavior. Unfortunately, I couldn't turn off my hearing as well as I could avoid looking into his pleading eyes.

As if he was aware of that, he moved so close that his mouth was just at my ear as he spoke, causing a few strands of my dark brown hair to fall over my face.

"You know, I would have believed you if it wasn't for the small fact that vampires can't get sick."

"Says who?" I muttered.

"I think I would know after forty years," he said with a chuckle, blowing air into my ear.

I kept my eyes closed as I fumed over the fact that I couldn't come up with a good answer to that. He remained quiet and still, too, which almost made me quit my childish manners and look at him in surprise.

But before my determination could waver any further, he decided to switch strategy.

His lips were suddenly tracing their way from my ear to my mouth, causing my eyelids to fly open in surprise. The second my eyes were open, his gaze locked with mine and his hands pressed against either side of my face so that I couldn't look away from him.

"Look, we're just going to be there for a short while," he said urgently, as if he was afraid he wouldn't be able to get out all of the words before I would interrupt him. "They're really nice, Jessica, once you give them a chance."

I stared into his eyes for a long time, not only because his intense gaze took my breath away but also because I no longer could come up with a good thing to reply. My mind was blank.

"So, are you coming with me or are you going to let me go alone?" he asked after a few seconds.

"I-I don't…" I stuttered, before I pulled in a deep breath to steady my thoughts. "I don't want to meet them. I've told you, they're creeping me out."

He rolled his eyes. "In what exact way are they creeping you out?"

"They…well, it's not really all of them."

He stared into my eyes for a long moment. "Anne won't bother us. You don't have to be frightened of her."

"I'm not," I said defensively.

"Good, then you don't have any reason not to come with me."

I was just about to argue, but he silenced me by touching my lips softly with his for a second. I sighed as he leaned back again, which made him smile slightly before he grabbed my hand and pulled me up from the bed I'd been positioned on. All of the rooms in the house were already decorated and finished, and yet only a day had passed since we'd arrived. Although the furniture had been from the old house, they matched the new rooms here so well that it was nearly impossible to remember them standing in any other house than this.

With reluctant steps, I walked out of the warm and welcoming house and out into the sunny day.

* * *

The town was not as crowded as it had been yesterday, but there were still enough staring people to make me feel just as uncomfortable as I'd felt last day. I didn't have any sunglasses to hide behind, and although I was wearing jeans and a light sleeve shirt, I felt oddly exposed.

Isaac's hand was the only thing I could hold on to as we walked through towns center, but also the only thing that forced me into moving my feet forwards. I didn't struggle against his grip, though – the feeling of his soft fingers was hard to let go of.

"I can't believe you're making me do this," I muttered under my breath, knowing that no one but him would be able to catch the words.

He chuckled, but answered me in a voice just as quiet as mine. "We're just going to talk to some people, Jessica. You make it seem like I'm leading you to your death."

"Well, it feels like that."

"You're being melodramatic," he laughed.

I glanced up at his face to give him a sour look, but I softened as I saw the beautiful smile that was enlightening his face. It reminded me of exactly how he'd been when I'd just gotten to know him, which made the corners of my mouth lift upwards in a responding smile. Even though we'd only been here for one day, he already seemed much lighter and happier – a fact that almost made me believe that maybe things could go back to just the way they'd been before everything had happened.

"I guess I am," I admitted, still smiling slightly.

He stared into my eyes for a long time before he suddenly pulled us to a stop in a swift move. I didn't get the chance to ask him what he was doing before his arms wound around my back, and his lips pressed down softly on mine. I could clearly feel the many pair of eyes burning holes into my neck, but none of that mattered as his lips moved with mine.

"Well, isn't that just sweet."

The voice made me flinch in surprise and I immediately leaned away from Isaac, feeling flustered. I was sure that if I'd still been human, my cheeks would have been warm and painted with a deep red color.

Isaac didn't seem as embarrassed as me, but he was polite enough to break free from me and turn to the person that had appeared beside us. It was the round woman with sand brown hair, whom I could easily recognize from yesterday.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," she said with a warm smile on her lips.

I wasn't sure if it was just my own imagination, but it felt like her eyes – which had a kind, dark brown color – lingered on me longer than they did on Isaac. I assumed that it was just the paranoia playing with my mind.

"No, it's okay," Isaac said, smiling slightly.

"Well, I don't want to be disturbing you, but I realized that I never got to really introduce myself to your dear fiancée yesterday."

I glanced down at the ground as a wave of something similar to embarrassment flooded through me. I hadn't really gotten the chance to get used to being addressed as fiancée – I'd barely even thought about how the wedding would be, which caused a roll of regret to wash through me as well. Instead of spending my time thinking about the fact that I would soon be a married woman, I'd used it to think over all of the things that had happened. Which mostly included Lucas…

"Ah," Isaac said, interrupted my inner monologue. He turned to me as he spoke again and held out his hand to gesture to the woman in front of me. "Jessica, this is Hannah Winston. Hannah, this is Jessica Moore."

Hannah's smile widened and she extended her right hand to me – offering me to grab it. I hesitantly gripped her hand, unsure of how she would react to my icy skin, but she didn't even flinch.

"It's a pleasure meeting you, Jessica," she said, still smiling.

I didn't have to force my lips to form a responding smile and neither did my words sound strained as I spoke.

"It's nice meeting you, too."

Isaac glanced down at me in surprise, obviously not anticipating my response. Not that I blamed him for that, though – just a few minutes ago I'd been desperately trying to avoid even seeing any people.

But Hannah's warm smile and kind words did not only make me feel better inside; she actually gave me hope that maybe Isaac's dream could actually get fulfilled. If she didn't even react to my cold touch – which was one of the most outgoing evidence to what Isaac and I really were – then was there really any reason for me to feel worried?

But of course, the comforting feeling inside of me vanished only a few seconds later when my sensitive hearing caught the sound of hurried footsteps coming closer and closer, and I turned my head to the left just in time to see a younger woman running speedily in our direction. Her hair, which had a familiar sandy brown color, was wind-blown and although I was standing a few feet away, I could easily hear how strained her breathing was. I stared at her in shock as she hastily pulled to a stop right beside Hannah, who I first now realized looked very much like the younger woman.

Hannah glanced down at the girl for a second before she looked up me with the same, warm smile on her lips as before.

"This here is my daughter Selene."

Selene smiled at both me and Isaac. "Hi," she breathed, obviously still tired from running.

I didn't get a chance to reply before Isaac stepped around me to pull Selene in for an unexpected hug. The shock and surprise mixed together inside of me, and my eyes darted back and forth between the three people standing in front of me. As my eyes wailed around, Hannah caught my gaze and gave me a smile as warm as before. Before I could manage to form a responding smile on my lips, she walked over to my side and placed a hand on my shoulder, causing me to flinch back slightly. No one except Isaac, and Lucas, had touched me in a long time, and it was odd feeling the warmness radiate from her fingers and through the thin shirt I was wearing.

"They were quite good friends before Isaac and his brother left," she explained. Obviously she had noticed my shocked staring.

"Oh," I mumbled, too stunned by her kind acting to come up with something more clever to say.

Isaac broke free from Selene to turn back to me as he heard our quiet exchanging of words, and his eyes were almost cautious – which made me force back a chuckle before it could escape my lips. Of all the things he could get worried about, he got concerned over my reaction to him embracing an old friend. After all, he'd experienced so much worse…

"It's been way too long," Selene said, interrupting my thoughts.

Her eyes, which unlike her mother had a beautiful jade green color, sparkled with an intensity that reminded me very much of a small girl. Although her body looked like it belonged to a sixteen-year-old, her face revealed a more childish side. Her cheeks were still slightly round and her face was as adorable as a child's, which convinced me that she couldn't be any older than fifteen or fourteen.

Isaac glanced back at her to flash her a smile before he quickly stepped over to my side, still acting overly anxious. I rolled my eyes at him, although I wasn't quite sure if he noticed, before I held out my hand to the younger girl. The bubbling happiness that seemed to radiate off her body washed away the shyness inside of me, and replaced me with more confidence than before.

"I'm Jessica," I said, smiling slightly at her.

Again, her eyes brightened up with a curiosity that seemed to be constantly floating inside of her, and she gripped my hand without hesitating. As shockingly as with Hannah, her face showed no shock or surprise over touching my cold skin. It was like they were so used to it that they didn't even notice any longer.

"You must be the fiancée mum was talking about," she said with a responding smile on her lips.

And that word was all it took to burst the large but breakable bubble of happiness inside of me. Mum.

I could feel my smile weaken as a stab of pain hit my heart, but Selene's eyes had already wandered over to Isaac's face, preventing her from seeing the humiliating tears that pressed up behind my eyelids. I hadn't expected such a reaction from myself, not after experiencing so much after my mother's death. It was like that happening was so far back in my past that it was just a finished, but darker chapter of my life. And yet, my heart ached with a pain that was as fresh as when I'd gotten the news about her.

Somewhere during the time when the thoughts started twirling around in my head, Isaac's soft hand gripped mine gently. It was not until I finally managed to get a grip on myself, which I did after only a minute, that I noticed his fingers entwined with mine.

I glanced up at his face, feeling more appreciated to him than I'd ever done, and he stared back at me with eyes filled with an emotion that calmed me all the way down to my bones. The tears that had been urging to roll down my cheeks slowly eased their pressure, and I rested my head slightly against his shoulder, ignoring the way Selene stared sweetly at us.

I'd all but forgotten about Hannah's hand on my shoulder, which was the reason why I flinched when she suddenly moved it away. I could feel Isaac's questioning eyes on my face, but I glanced over at Hannah instead while I tried to calm myself from the sudden shock.

"I should probably leave you alone for a while now," she said, smiling warmly at us. "And besides, I better get going anyway. I was supposed to meet Anne ten minutes ago."

I turned my gaze away from her as I hid the sudden hostility I could feel burning like venom in my eyes. Although I'd gotten the feeling that everything could turn out great in this town, I still hadn't completely forgotten about the old woman from yesterday – Anne. I knew that with only a few words, she could destroy the future for me and Isaac.

As if the same thoughts circulated in Isaac's head, his body stiffened slightly and his hand gripped mine harder, as if he was afraid I was about to be pulled away from his side. Selene stared at us with her light brown eyebrows raised, obviously not understanding our hostile reaction to her mother's words. Hannah didn't seem to notice, because she started walking away with the smile still enlightening her kind face. It was like it was permanently fixed on her lips.

"You look like someone just killed your puppy," Selene suddenly commented, still staring at us with raised eyebrows.

A quiet chuckle erupted my lips as I took in her odd words, and the sound of my laughter did not only surprise Isaac. It had been way too long since I'd laughed like that, which was depressing to realize. What a wreck I had become.

I could feel Isaac's gaze on my face again, and I glanced up at him to flash him a smile. He stared back at me for a few seconds before his lips formed a beautiful responding smile, but I didn't get the chance to watch his happiness for more than a second before Selene suddenly let out a sound that could only be counted as an irritated sigh.

"I'm out of here, too," she said with a roll of her eyes.

A few minutes ago, I was sure that I would have gladly taken the opportunity to be alone with Isaac again. But there was something about her that made me feel just like I'd done before I'd been turned into a vampire, which was the reason why I couldn't let her leave just as quickly as Hannah had.

"Can't you stay a little while longer?" I asked, while I could feel Isaac's eyes once again focus on my face.

Selene eyed me cautiously, which made me think that maybe the happiness inside of me wasn't as visible on my face as I'd thought it was. After a few seconds, she rolled her eyes again before she, without another word, started walking towards the path that would lead us away from the town's centre and towards the small forest that surrounded the town.

Isaac spun me around, using the hand he had gripped around mine, and headed after Selene, almost dragging me with him. It didn't take more than a few seconds for us to catch up with her, but she didn't seem very surprised over how fast we walked.

"I'll leave if you keep up with the love crap, though," she said, a tiny hint of irritation of in her voice.

I smiled slightly at her words and I could without difficulty notice how a smile tugged at the corners of Isaac's mouth, too.

We walked in silence for a short moment, before Selene's face suddenly brightened up with a sudden curiosity. Her mood swings were definitely hard for me to keep up with.

"So, how did you guys meet?" she asked, her voice just as bright as her facial expression.

I opened my mouth to reply, but just then realized that I had no idea what to tell her. That I'd been such a wreck to jump off a building, only to be saved by Isaac – something that was physically impossible for any human.

"Same school," Isaac answered casually before she could get suspicious about the silence.

"Really?" Selene asked, thick disappointment audible in her voice. "Was it really that simple? No drama, no jealousy?"

I bit my lip as I tried to hold back a chuckle that wanted to erupt my lips and I could clearly see on Isaac's face that he was just as close to let out a laugh as I was. If only Selene knew how much drama and jealousy there actually was in the real story.

Although I'd only talked to her for a few minutes, I couldn't stop myself from already liking her. I'd thought that I would have to keep myself from all sociality once I'd become a vampire, and I'd already gotten quite used to it. But as I walked through the beautiful forest the trees around us created, I couldn't deny that I'd missed being just a normal 16-year-old girl and not the grown-up I'd been the last month. I had only repressed the yearning of it, forced it to a dark part of my mind where I would forget it sooner or later.

"Of course there was jealousy," Isaac finally said, causing a spark of new curiosity burst up in Selene's jade green eyes.

"And some drama," I added.

Isaac glanced down at me with a smile on his lips. "A lot of drama," he agreed.

I smiled back at him, while I could almost _hear_ how Selene rolled her eyes at us. Without even begging us for the real story, she hurried her steps so that she was soon a few feet ahead of us and already heading back towards the town's centre. I threw a quick glance at her back, which was already quite far away, before I looked up at Isaac again.

His ice blue eyes looked brighter than they had in a very long time and the beautiful smile on his lips showed nothing but true happiness as he stared back at me. I could barely recognize him in his happy glowing; it had been much too long since I'd seen him like that. But the sight of his smile and clear eyes washed away all of the worry and sadness inside of me, and filled me with a warm feeling.

"You seem different here," I commented after a few seconds, still with a smile on my lips.

One of his dark brown eyebrows arched upwards questioningly, but the smile remained intact on his lips.

"Different?"

"Well, you seem happier," I explained, while my eyes wandered from his face to the beautiful setting of trees that surrounded us.

His fingers entwined with mine as he spoke. "You seem happier, too."

I shrugged, not really in the mood to go into a conversation about my feelings. I was sure that I would destroy the happy mood by just mentioning a certain name, which was something I definitely wanted to avoid doing.

"And why wouldn't I be happier here?" Isaac asked as I didn't say anything.

Although it sounded like a rhetorical question, I decided to answer anyway.

"I don't know. I mean, I know this place is beyond beautiful, but I don't think I've ever seen you this happy."

He swiftly pulled me to a stop and turned me to him so that his eyes could bore into mine. I stared back at him silently, totally astonished by his piercing gaze.

"It's not the place I'm so happy about," he said warmly. "It's the fact that you're here with me."


	17. Worry

**Worry**

The days went fast, even though I wasn't quite sure how I managed to get through them all. Selene seemed to always be around, either to cheer the day up with her strangely humorous comments or to just simply accompany me and Isaac. Although I enjoyed how the glowing presence of hers always chased away disturbing or worrying thoughts, I barely got any time alone with Isaac.

It was impossible to give her any hints about it, though. Every time I got as close as mentioning something about privacy, she would instantly pick a totally insignificant subject to ramble about until I got distracted. There was something about the way her jade green eyes always seemed to widen whenever I tried giving her hints that made her look like an innocent puppy.

I wasn't quite sure if Isaac saw the same thing or if he just didn't mind it as much as I did, because a smile was constantly glued to his lips. The way the happiness made his already beautiful face shine was quite hard to take in, which was why I often found myself staring absent-mindedly at the sky while Selene speed-talked about something I couldn't fully pay attention to. She didn't seem to notice.

It was not until almost a week had passed that her happy talking and the way her green eyes sparkled could no longer take away the worry inside of me. Just the presence of her and the glorious happiness that seemed to radiate off Isaac's body had been enough to chase away the grudging feeling inside of me before, but as the sun rose on the seventh day, I couldn't hold it back any longer. The thirst.

I'd been distracted from it for so long that the dry aching in my throat was surprising enough to make me gasp quietly. Isaac watched me with raised eyebrows from where he stood by the wardrobe in our bedroom, and I looked at him for a few seconds before I answered the unspoken question in his eyes.

"It's the thirst," I muttered, feeling the bad mood struck me. The past week I'd felt more human than I'd ever done since I'd been turned, and it stung to be reminded of the true reality.

A smile appeared on his lips as he heard my sour tone, and I could feel my gaze turn into scowl.

"In what way is that amusing?" I asked, the good mood from the earlier days all but washed away from me.

He walked over to where I was placed on the bed and leaned down so that our faces were on the same level. With the tips of his fingers, he softly stroke my cheek, causing a wonderful feeling of warmness to roll through me. I felt my gaze soften up slightly, which made his smile grow wider.

"You're adorable when you're mad," he said teasingly, before he moved his finger to tap lightly against the tip of my nose.

"You'll see adorable," I muttered under my breath, which only caused him to chuckle before he walked back to the wardrobe he'd been standing by before.

I only watched him in silence as he rummaged through the drawers, obviously searching for a decent outfit to wear. I couldn't fully understand the difficulty in that, though; his wardrobe mostly held clothes with the light color of blue or green. I hadn't really noticed it before – his face was what took my full attention – but it had occurred to me when we'd moved.

I barely noticed how my head tilted to the side as I watched how he finally seemed to find what he'd wanted. It was not until he suddenly dragged off the shirt he'd been wearing – exposing his bare chest – that my eyes almost reflexively dropped down to the covers of the bed. Although I was sixteen years old, I'd never gotten very intimate with anyone. The most I'd ever done was in truth just kissing.

I threw a quick glance at Isaac, who was watching me with a humored expression on his face.

"Why are you looking so embarrassed?" he asked with a smile on his lips.

I hesitated slightly before I spoke in a voice that was quiet enough to hide the false note in my tone. "I'm not embarrassed."

"It sure looks like you are."

"But I'm not," I objected.

He stared at me with the smile untouched on his lips for a long moment before he took a few slow steps towards the bed. I kept my eyes warily on his face to avoid glancing down at his bare chest, knowing how I would surely lose my train of thoughts. I was more than glad that I could no longer blush, since I knew how tomato red my cheeks would've been at this point.

He pulled to a stop at the side of the bed and knelt down beside me so that his gaze could lock with mine.

"You _are_ embarrassed," he stated after a short moment of silence, the smile widening on his lips.

My mouth plopped open, but nothing but a rush of air came out, even though I tried to force out a good reply. He laughed lightly at the expression on my face, which caused me to get an unfamiliar feeling of wanting to get back at his teasing. With a smug smile tugging at the corners of my mouth, I picked up one of the soft pillows from the bed and held it in a firm grip in front of me, ready to throw it at him any second.

He watched me for a long moment before he spoke, his voice turning teasingly threatening.

"You wouldn't."

"Just watch me," I replied with a light laugh, before I threw the soft cushion at him.

Even though I knew that the pillow would probably feel like a caressing feather to him, I was silly enough to make sure that I didn't throw it too hard at him. But the material of the cushion didn't even get to touch his face before it was caught by his secure hand. He remained still for a second, only watching the pillow in his hand, before he glanced up at me with a teasing smile on his lips.

In a movement swift enough to surprise me, the pillow was thrown back onto the bed, causing me to get side-tracked. While my eyes darted to the spot where the cushion had landed, I didn't notice how he moved until I could feel a pair of hands wrapping around my wrists. I glanced back at him, surprised by the sudden touch, but got distracted from the shock as I noticed how taunting his smile had turned.

Before I could even expect it, he was on top of me and pinning me down to the soft covers of the bed, and a burst of light laughter escaped my lips before I could stop it. His ice blue eyes, which were filled with teasing, met mine for a long second, which caused my laughter to get caught in the throat. With his dark brown hair tousled and his eyes sparkling like diamonds, he looked more beautiful than I'd ever seen him. But the beauty was not just what took my breath away; it was a thought that was nearly impossible to even think. He was _mine_.

His lips crushed down on mine in an instant, and even though my mouth moved almost instinctively with his, I couldn't fully concentrate on the kiss. Even through the light shirt I was wearing, the feeling of his bare chest caused a rush of an unfamiliar emotion to swirl around in my stomach. His hands, which had been gripping my wrists, moved to slip into my dark brown hair, but I let my own hands lie as limply as they did. It was not until a few seconds had passed that I hesitantly wrapped my arms around his back, feeling a tingling sensation in my fingers as they met the construct of his bare skin.

As he pulled away a long moment later, my breathing was beyond ragged and the odd butterflies were twirling around unstoppably in the pit of my stomach. His own breath blew over my face a few quick times before he leaned his forehead against mine, only adding to the swirling feeling in my stomach.

"That was…quite something," I mumbled after a long moment of silence, unable to come up with other words.

He chuckled, causing a rush of air to blow over my face. "I really hope you mean that in a good way."

I rolled my eyes at his comment, feeling slightly surprised that I was able to response so casually while the butterflies spun around in my stomach. He pressed his lips softly against mine for a second before he swiftly got up from the bed, leaving me lying there while trying to steady my still uneven breathing.

By the time I was able to breathe normally again, Isaac had already walked back to the wardrobe and pulled on a light blue shirt. I slowly heaved myself up in a sitting position while he darted around in the room, obviously searching for something. I glanced down at my hands as I waited for him to pull to a stop again, and my eyes almost immediately landed on the beautiful ring on my finger. In the vague light coming from the window, the ring sparkled in its marvellous mixture of dark blue and silver, reminding me of the promise it kept. Marriage.

I felt an odd lump form in my stomach, pushing away the swirling butterflies from before. Although the wedding had seemed like something so wonderful just a few days ago, I suddenly realized that it wouldn't just make some changes for me and Isaac. Wasn't a married couple supposed to form a family almost immediately – something that I knew was impossible for the two of us. _I_ wasn't really bothered about it, but I realized at once that the people around us wouldn't take it that mildly.

"Isaac," I said in a low mumble, causing him to skid to a halt.

I glanced up at him and found him staring questioningly at me, obviously waiting for me to speak.

"About the wedding," I started, my tone slightly wary.

"What about it?" he asked hesitantly as he heard the way my voice sounded.

I stared at his face for a few seconds, unsure how to proceed. I'd rather have his eyes on something else than me; his gaze made it harder for me to continue speaking, since I knew the words I was about to say wouldn't exactly please him.

I opened my mouth to speak…and bailed out.

"Have you thought of any date for it?" I asked instead.

He stared at me for a long second, obviously not fooled by my sudden mood swing, until he seemed to let it go.

"Not really," he admitted, still watching me suspiciously. "I thought we should do that together."

I nodded, mostly to myself, and once again focused my eyes on the sparkling ring on my right hand. The air swirled slightly around me as Isaac moved over to where I sat, but even as the bed shifted, I let my eyes remain on the same spot.

"There's something else, isn't there?" Isaac asked gently, his voice coming from beside me.

"What makes you think so?" I mumbled, trying unsuccessfully to sound nonchalant.

I could almost hear the smile in his voice as he spoke. "Jessica, I've gotten quite used to reading your face. I think I know when something's not right."

Since I knew I wouldn't be able to keep my tone cool, I decided to take my only chance at distracting him instead.

"You haven't had _that_ much time of readingmy face," I said, daring to throw a quick glance up at him. He was sitting just a few inches away from me on the bed, staring at me with one dark brown eyebrow raised.

"What?" he asked, obviously side-tracked.

"You haven't known me long enough to be so sure of my facial expressions," I said, trying to keep my voice as nonchalant as possible.

A smile suddenly appeared on his lips, making him look very…sneaky. "I may not have known you all along, Jessica. But we went to the same school in a long time."

I stared at him for a long moment, unable to do anything than watch him with raised eyebrows. "You…like, spied on me?"

He rolled his eyes at my assumption. "I didn't _spy_ on you," he said, making the word sound ridiculous.

"Then what?" I asked, confused.

"I've told you I fell in love with you the first second I saw you," he murmured, causing me to feel utterly flattered. "It's not the easiest thing to keep your eyes off someone you love."

"So you _did_ spy on me?"

Again, he rolled his eyes at me. "Spying includes stalking a person. All I did was watching you during school time."

I could feel a smile tug the corners of my mouth upwards, and we both lapsed into silence for a short moment. I was about to continue speaking when he interrupted me by grabbing my left hand in a tight grip – surprising me.

"Now," he started, his voice soft. "Tell me what you wanted to say."

I glanced down at my hands. Obviously my distraction hadn't worked as well as I'd thought.

"It's nothing, really," I mumbled.

He sat silently for a long moment, just keeping my hand in his, before he spoke calmly. "Are you having second thoughts about the wedding?"

"No, no," I assured him quickly, glancing up at him in surprise. "It's just that…these past few days, everything has been so easy. It hasn't been that simple in a long time."

"Jessica, nothing will change after we've gotten married," he said, his voice still calm. "Things can be just as easy afterwards. Nothing has to change."

"It won't be the same," I mumbled, my eyes focusing on a certain spot on the wall farthest away from me. "People will see us as a married couple, a couple that are expected to form a family soon enough."

He sighed quietly. "It doesn't matter what they think. The only thing that matters for me is that I love you, and that is why I want to marry you, Jessica."

I swallowed once – he wasn't making this easier.

"You know I love you, too," I said, my voice still as quiet as a mumble. "And I know my feelings for you won't ever change, Isaac. So there's really no use in doing this so quickly. We've got all the time in the world."

He didn't reply to my words, but I waited a long moment before I glanced back at his face. His lips were pressed tightly together and his eyes, which were focused intently on my face, seemed much harder than before. I couldn't understand his facial expression at all.

"What did I say?" I asked hesitantly, shocked by his reaction.

He stared at me for a short moment before he spoke in a tone that matched his expression precisely. "Is it just because you want things simple? Or is there another reason why you want to postpone the wedding?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked hesitantly.

His eyes lingered on my face for a long moment before he glanced away from me, still looking utterly harsh. I couldn't understand where his sudden anger came from - I'd barely ever seen him show any kind of negative feelings before. The one time I'd seen him really upset, the fury hadn't been towards me – it had been how he'd felt towards Lucas.

As I thought that name, something clicked in my head – like the last piece of a puzzle falling into place – and I suddenly understood his odd question.

"You think this is about Lucas, don't you?" I asked, my voice growing slightly louder.

He kept his gaze locked on something on the wall for a few seconds before he nodded, giving me the answer I'd already been expecting. I nearly flew up from the bed a second later, but before I could take more than one step to the door, long fingers wrapped around my wrist – pulling me to a stop. I stared at the door for a short moment before I turned my head to look at him.

His eyes were nearly pained as he stared back at me, which caused me to almost immediately sink down on the bed again.

"Jessica, you don't understand," he said in a quiet voice, the anger from before all but washed away.

I sat silently, assuming that he had more to say.

"You don't understand how scared I am that you will get sick of me one day and choose to be with him instead," he murmured.

"You…you think I'm going to…pick him instead of you?" I managed to get out – the shock of hearing his words was making it hard for me to speak.

He only nodded, his gaze still focused on the wall. I stared at him for a short moment, taking in how the pain was flickering across his face, until I instinctively threw myself forwards to lock my arms around him and bury my face against his shoulder. It took him a few seconds to respond to the hug, but as his arms wound around my back, I hugged myself closer so that there was no distance between us.

"That will never happen," I mumbled against his shoulder. "You know I'll never leave you."

"I'm not blind, Jessica," he replied quietly. "I can see that you miss him."

"I don't miss him, I just…" I lapsed into silence as I realized that I had no idea what to say.

Isaac sighed. "Whatever you do, don't lie to me, Jessica."

I leaned back to look straightly him straightly in the eyes.

"I'm not lying," I said defensively. "I just haven't gotten the time to really think over everything that has happened."

He only stared back at me in silence, obviously not able to come up with a good reply to that. I looked back into his ice blue eyes for a short moment before I continued speaking again.

"But even after I've thought it all through," I said calmly. "I know that my feelings for you will be just the same as they've been since we met, if not even stronger. So you have nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about?" he said, his tone incredulous.

"Exactly," I replied, trying to keep my voice calm.

He was up from the bed in the split of a second, and I glanced up at his face in shock.

"I didn't have anything to worry about before," he said, his voice suddenly strangely loud. "Not until my _brother_ suddenly got feelings for you and decided to kiss you, even though he knew how much that would hurt for me…"

"Isaac," I interrupted before he could go any further with his sudden outburst of words.

He stared at me for a long moment with a bewildered expression on his face, until he suddenly let out a sigh and sank down on the bed again. His gaze lowered to the covers of the bed while his face slowly got calmer and calmer, and I waited until his eyes were almost clear from all anger before I spoke.

"All of that is in the past," I said in a voice as quiet as a murmur. "It's not something you should spend time worrying about. Especially not when there's nothing to worry about."

"But there are things…"

"No," I interrupted. "You're here with me. And no one is going to ruin that."

Just as those words had left my mouth, the ringing sound of the doorbell suddenly echoed through the house, causing both me and Isaac to jump slightly. I didn't need more than two seconds to realize who would ever come over at such an early time, but before I could roll my eyes at it, the thirst suddenly knocked down on me again. It had vanished so quickly that I'd already forgotten about it, which was why I now again gasped.

"Thirst?" Isaac guessed, glancing over at my face.

I nodded, staring back at him.

"Do you want me to tell her to come later?" he asked, his voice back to normal, as if he hadn't been angry at all before.

"As if that's possible," I said with a light roll of my eyes.

He swiftly got up from the bed without replying, though with the tiny hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, and walked out of the bedroom before I could say anything else. I couldn't quite understand his sudden mood swings – I'd never seen him like that before. But I could only guess that it had all begun a long time ago, when I'd just met Lucas. I' hadn't fully thought about it before, but I realized now that he'd never really been as joyful and cheery after the moment I got introduced to his older brother.

He wasn't fully the same. And neither was I.

* * *

The rest of the day felt endurably long, as if every second was as long as a minute. I spent the whole time lying on the much too comfortable bed, dreading over the fact that I couldn't go out and be social without risking to hurt someone. I knew only too well how breakable my control over myself was.

Isaac laid silently beside me the whole time, obviously lost in his own thoughts, while I was snuggled up against his side. We barely spoke, but I wasn't sure if it was because he still hadn't fully gotten over the conversation we'd had earlier that day, or if he simply found the silence just as content as I did.

It wasn't until the sky outside the window had darkened deeply that I rolled over to my side of the bed again, since he hadn't responded to the hug during the whole time. I didn't get offended, though – I assumed that he was too deep in his thoughts to realize that he was lying in a stiff position.

But the bed shifted after only a few seconds, and a soft arm suddenly snuck around me and pulled me closer to his body. His breath blew down my neck as he buried his face in my hair, and my eyes closed while I let the embrace warm my stiff body. We both laid like that for a long moment while the moon shone in on us from the window, until he finally decided to break the silence that had lingered in the room for so long.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I didn't mean to lack out like that before."

"I understand," I replied quietly, still with my eyes closed.

"I've never been so out of control with my emotions," he continued, his tone almost turning shocked.

I wasn't sure how to respond to that, so I just laid quietly in his arms while I waited to see if he would continue speaking. As he did a few seconds later, he'd changed the subject.

"I'll leave tomorrow to get some…blood," he said, his voice still quiet. "That way you won't have to stay away from anyone like this for more than a day."

I sighed. "I can come with you."

"Do you really want to risk anything by coming with me?"

"It won't get much better for me if I'm alone."

I could feel his sigh blow over the back of my head. "I'll be back soon, Jessica."

"It doesn't matter. Who knows what could happen in just a couple of hours?"

"_Nothing_ will happen in just a single few hours, if you just stay inside the house," he said in an assuring tone.

I opened my eyes and rolled around in his embrace so that I could see his face, and was surprised to see that his eyes were closed. If it hadn't been for the fact that he'd spoken just a few seconds ago, I'd been sure that he wasn't awake.

"Isaac, I might loose control over myself if you're not here," I mumbled. "I don't want to risk that anything happens."

"You _won't_ loose control," he replied with his eyes remaining closed. "And before you even get to think about it, I'll be back."

I laid silently for a while, thinking through it. I knew that coming with him would only be even riskier, since I knew that he was going to a bigger town to get me what I needed. The last thing I wanted to do was to form chaos by loosing control of myself in a public place, and I knew something like that could easily happen.

But staying by myself in the house didn't feel like much of a better idea. I was sure that someone would decide to visit just during the short time when I would be alone, and that would be enough for me to snap. I wasn't so sure that I could stop myself from hurting anyone if Isaac wasn't there to support me.

While the thoughts spun around wildly in my head, I slowly felt an odd heaviness sink down on me, making me feel strangely exhausted. It was an odd feeling that was spreading inside of me, just like if I was balancing on the edge of falling asleep. I didn't get to ask Isaac what was happening before I realized that the darkness that was sinking down on me would bring me the rest I hadn't gotten in a very long time.

So I closed my eyes and welcomed the unfamiliar darkness.

_

* * *

__**So, a new chapter is finally up! I'm sorry that it took so long time, but as I've told you guys before, I can't spend all time in front of the computer when the sun is shining outside and the beach is close by ;) I'll really try to write faster, though.**_

_**Anyways, his chapter only circulated around Isaac and Jessica, but I didn't think any of you would mind that ;) I know that not very much is happening at the moment, but I can totally assure you that this story has more action to come. **_

**_I'd really like to see some more of your reviews, so get your fingers typing :)_**


	18. Faith

**Faith**

I wasn't quite sure how I'd expected "resting" to feel like, but how ever I'd thought it'd be, I know I couldn't have guessed right. The darkness that lingered behind my eyelids was nothing I'd experienced earlier in my life; it was not the calm feeling of sleeping, and yet it was not at like being unconscious. It was a feeling of…emptiness. Like the world had absorbed into pieces and left me behind in the lonely darkness.

Although the idea of that was frightening, I was still somehow aware of that I was alive – or as alive as I now was. It was a feeling that was too odd to be able to describe in words – it was even impossible for me to explain it to myself.

But the blackness behind my eyelids soon eased its pressure, and I was able to open my eyes to the blinding morning sun. Although it felt like no more than a minute had passed since I'd closed my eyes, the bright light was proof enough that at least a few hours had already flown by.

Isaac had somewhere during those hours left the bed, since he wasn't lying beside me any longer. I sat up hesitantly, expecting him to stand across the room or just a foot away, but the bedroom was completely empty. I couldn't fully consider the idea that he'd left without saying goodbye, even though I knew that he would only be gone for a few hours. Just the thought of that stung slightly, which surprised me. I hadn't realized how attached I'd gotten to him.

I slid off the bed in a swift move and walked out from the room with quite fast steps, still hoping to see him at the other side of the room. I checked every empty room of the second floor, and it was not until I reached the top of the staircase that would lead me down to the first story, that I heard a familiar sound of paper being browsed.

I hopped down the stairs, relieved that I didn't have the house all by myself yet, and walked directly to the living room, where the sound came from. As I'd already expected, I found Isaac sitting on the couch with a book in his hands, while his feet rested on top of the small table that stood close by the sofa. He glanced up from the side he'd been reading as he easily heard my appearance and gave me a warm smile.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty."

I rolled my eyes at his comment and walked over to where he was positioned before I sank down beside him on the couch. His arm wound around me before I even got to sit down on the comfortable furniture and I let my head rest slightly against his shoulder. As I sat as close as I could, my eyes immediately dropped down to the book he held in his hands. The sides of it looked worn, as if it had been used for a very long time – which wasn't hard to imagine at all.

"What are you reading?" I asked, curiosity clear in my voice.

"Just a book my father gave me," he answered casually.

"I assume that was a quite long time ago," I mumbled, surprised by his answer.

"Quite long," he agreed, a smile audible in his voice.

I sat silently for a short moment before I hesitantly pressed my fingers against the battered cover of the book. He didn't push my hand away, which I'd half-expected him to – he only stared at the book while I slowly let my fingers wander over it.

"A favorite of yours?" I asked as I moved my hand away again. I knew that I could easily trash the book by just accidently press my fingers a little to tight against the cover of it – something I definitely wanted to prevent from happening.

"What makes you think that?" he asked, glancing up at me in surprise.

I shrugged. "It just looks well-used."

"Well, it was kind of…Lucas' favorite," he admitted with a hard note edging to his voice.

"Oh," I mumbled, unsure how to respond to that.

He didn't say anything else, so I decided to switch subject before either of us got time to think more about Lucas. I didn't want to repeat the conversation from yesterday.

"When are you leaving today?" I asked cautiously, realizing a second too late that I should have picked another topic. As little as I wanted to have to think about Lucas, it was nothing compared to how hard I tried to avoid thinking about being separated from Isaac.

But for once he didn't notice the strange edge to my tone. "I wanted to wait until you'd woken up, and now that you have…I should probably leave as soon as possible."

"You don't have to leave that soon. I'll be fine for at least a few more days."

"No, you won't," he disagreed, his voice soft. "I know you don't want to risk any lives, Jessica."

I felt my lower lip pout out in a frown. "But I'll risk more if I'm alone here."

"Not if you just stay inside the house. You can pretend that you're sleeping if anyone would come up with the idea of stopping by here."

I couldn't come up with a good answer to that, which I knew was because he was right. Being inside the house for just a few hours wouldn't risk anything, as long as I could just keep a tight control of myself. Which was the only problem with his plan. Controlling myself had been easier these past few weeks, but I knew that when I didn't have anyone to stop me just in case I lost that control for a second, I could easily snap. And no one would be able to prevent that from happening.

"I could still loose control, even though you're stubborn enough to not think so," I said, my face still set in a disapproving frown.

"I'm not stubborn, I just have faith in you," he answered softly. "Which you should have, too."

"Faith," I muttered.

He only smiled in response – my sour tone didn't affect him in any other way than amusing him. "You make it sound like a bad thing."

"It is," I replied, my voice still a mutter.

"Faith is not a bad thing, Jessica," he said, still sounding slightly amused. "Maybe if you try having some faith in yourself, you might not be so sure that you'll loose control."

"_Faith_ won't help me with my control," I said, set on keeping up with my sour behavior.

He rolled his eyes at me. "If you wish to think so, then fine."

As I tried coming up with a good answer to that – it was hard keeping my thoughts straight while he was smiling at me – he took the chance to put the book on the table and swiftly get up from the couch. I glanced up at him in a mixture of surprise and shock, before I realized what he was doing. He was leaving.

"Isaac…," I started, my voice balancing between a pleading and a whining tone, but he interrupted me.

"Don't start," he said, a soft smile on his lips. "I won't be gone long. You have nothing to worry about."

I stared at him with a new frown on my face before I got up from the couch as well. As I was standing up, his arms wound around me and pulled me closer to him for a long moment before he leaned back to flash me another smile.

"I'll be back so soon you won't even have the time to miss me," he assured me.

"That will have to be _very_ soon," I mumbled.

He chuckled lightly, the strange mood from yesterday all but washed away from him, before he leaned closer again to press his soft lips against mine for a long second. My hands instinctively locked around his neck in an attempt to keep him close to me, but he could without difficulty worm out of my grip. I sighed as my arms fell back to my sides – I knew I had no chance of stopping him from going.

"I'll see you soon," he said with a smile on his lips, before he vanished from the room.

I waited until the front door slammed before I sank down on the couch again and let out another sigh.

"Faith," I muttered to myself after a few seconds of intriguing silence.

As if that would help me.

* * *

"Urgh," I groaned to myself as I threw the last book on top of the pile of things I'd created on the wooden floor of the bedroom.

I'd already gone through the unnecessarily large stack of both movies and books that Isaac had obviously collected during his many years, and I was fully out of ideas what to do. Even though I'd spent as long time as possible in front of the bookcase in the living room, deliberately taking as much time as I could to pick out the few books I found interesting, no more than a hour had passed since Isaac had left.

The bed I sat cross-legged on had at first been filled with things like books, movies and old CDs, but as I'd gone through the whole pile, there was only one item left on the furniture – a photo album. The cover of it was black and sleek, like it had been used only once or twice, but I had a certain feeling that the inside probably wasn't as new and blank as the outside made it look like.

A tiny spark of curiosity flared up in me as my eyes landed on it and I picked it up carefully. After weighing it in my hands for a long moment, I hesitantly opened the album to see what memories the inside held.

Although I checked through the whole album twice to make up my mind, I couldn't decide which one of the pages that was the most astonishing one. Every side had its own story, though always including Isaac or Lucas, and the more I looked at the different pages, the more an odd feeling started creating in the pit of my stomach – there was so much I didn't know about Isaac. I'd never really thought of how his background had been – I'd never even given much thought of the fact that his childhood maybe hadn't been as perfect as I'd counted it to be.

In the first part of the album, there were mostly pictures with four family members on; two adults whom I took for granted as the parents, a tall boy with dark brown hair who seemed to be in the age of 12 and a small toddler with a huge smile on his lips, making two adorable dimples visible. It took me a few seconds to realize how the little boy's face almost was an exact copy of Isaac's, but when I did, it was impossible to hold in the laughter that wanted to burst out my lips.

And the rest had gone on the same. Each time a picture of Isaac as a child had come up, it was hard to keep myself from laughing. Although the corner of my eye always seemed to detect Lucas at the other side of the picture, I tried my very best not to look more clearly at him. It was already enough that I couldn't fully get him out of my mind – I didn't want to remind myself even further of him.

It was not until I'd browsed through the whole album that I'd found a picture of the two brothers that couldn't have been taken much long before they'd both been turned. The background was simple with a cloud-free, deep blue sky, but it somehow seemed so much more beautiful with both Isaac and Lucas standing in the middle of the frame.

Even without the perfection of porcelain skin and immortality, I couldn't come up with anyone else more beautiful than Isaac. With dark blue eyes glinting with the happiness that also showed on the wide grin on his lips and red roses on his slightly tanned cheeks, he looked even more marvellous.

I smacked the book shut before my eyes could land on Lucas' flawless face and threw it down on the cover of the bed, forgetting my previous carefulness. Luckily, the album didn't get affected in any way by my roughness – the cover remained sleek and black, without a single scratch.

I sighed as I realized that the album had been my last distraction and threw a quick glance at the window that was placed on the wall on my left. The sky was still a light blue and the sun was set high, adding to my new suspicion that the time only seemed to pass slower and slower.

I couldn't remember many times that I'd had so little to do, but neither could I really pick many memories of when I'd been separated from Isaac. Ever since I'd been turned, I'd only been separated from Isaac twice. Which I chose as the reason why I couldn't come up with a single idea of what to do. Telling myself that I'd become a boring person was simply not as pleasing as blaming it on something else.

After sitting in a stiff position for a long second, I threw myself back onto the pillows and rolled around on my stomach so that I could bury my head against one of the soft cushions. An irritated groan managed to slink out my lips as I felt the desperation and annoyance sink over me and drag me down into the comfortable bed. Although I knew it was impossible for me to fall down into the empty blackness I'd experienced a few hours ago, I squeezed my eyes shut the hardest I could and tried to will my brain into doing the same thing it had done last night.

After a long minute without succeeding with my not so brilliant plan, I gave up with a sigh and rolled around on my back. I gazed up at the roof in pure boredom as I waited for the endlessly long day to pass. Which I could only pray it would do as soon as quickly.

* * *

I honestly had no idea how I made it through the many hours that passed until the sun finally decided to sink lower and lower down on the sky. If I wasn't lying on the bed or just counting the sheep I created in my head, I was only walking around in the house with my hands in the pockets of the dark blue jeans I'd pulled on. It wasn't just the boredom and the fact that every second felt like a whole hour – the thirst in my throat seemed to grow stronger and stronger until it was impossible to ignore.

The dry and painful aching in my throat was not the worst, though.

For every single minute that passed, the longing for Isaac grew stronger until it felt like someone had carved out a hole from my chest. It was more than awful being without him, and not only because of the unbearable missing in my heart – the separation from him reminded me much too clearly of the last time he'd left for a long time. And just the slightest thought of that time brought back the odd and unwanted feeling of Lucas' lips against mine.

Still, I managed to survive the longest day of my life, though not without uncountable groans and sighs constantly slinking out my lips.

* * *

I stared out the window with impatience swirling around inside of me, making slightly jumpy. Every second that passed only deepened the strong yearning inside of me to hop out on the fresh green lawn outside the house, and the feeling made me groan loudly. I knew I was silly to think that the purring sound of a car would appear in the quiet night, but I couldn't force myself to move away from the window. My mind was set on standing there till Isaac arrived.

I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination or if the impatience inside of me was starting to play with my mind, but my ice blue eyes suddenly caught a quick movement in the darkness. I leaned so much closer to the window – forgetting that it was open – that I suddenly found myself half-hanging outside. The only thing that stopped me from falling out with my head first was that my feet were planted safely to the floor of the bedroom.

I remained in the position I was to keep my balance, but the night was completely still again – I'd probably just imagined the tiny movement, like I'd expected. A soft sigh escaped my lips as I leaned back again, and I sank down on the floor instead of keeping my eyes on the dark evening outside the window. There was no point in standing there all night long – I knew Isaac would come home as soon as he could. And he definitely wouldn't come faster just because I stared out the window.

The floor felt oddly warm, which was surprising enough to make me gasp quietly – nothing really felt warm to me any longer. I flew up from my sitting position in a movement that took no longer than the split of a second, but let my bare feet remain still for a few seconds before I walked over to the bedroom door. I wasn't sure why the paranoia had flared up in me so quickly – I'd probably just imagined the feeling of warmth, just like I'd imagined the movement outside.

But that was when my sensitive nose caught a strangely familiar scent that seemed to leak in from the hallway. A scent I could clearly remember from when my mother had accidently let the breakfast lay a little too long in the frying pan, a reeking scent that had always made me crinkle my nose in disgust. The scent of something burning.

The realization didn't hit me until a short while had passed and my shocked hiss filled the room at the same time as I recognized the certain smell. With a speed fast enough to even surprise myself, I darted out of the room and took a rough halt at the top of the staircase. I could feel my eyes widen and my mouth plop open as I took in the scene downstairs, but it somehow took even another few seconds for me to grasp what was really going on.

The whole first floor had burst into flames.

* * *

**_So, I finally managed to get a chapter uploaded before another month had passed, and as always, I would really like to get a few reviews to help me get the next chapter written ;)_**


	19. Flames

**Flames**

My mind was paralyzed as I stumbled down the stairs with a slowness I'd never even shown as a human. The flames that had appeared in the quiet house felt surreal to me; it couldn't be anything else than a trick of my mind. But as I reached the bottom step of the staircase, I could no longer deny the evidence that the fire wasn't just in my imagination – the stunningly thick warmth that hovered over me was proof enough to me that I wasn't hallucinating.

I stared at the thick flames that crawled their way over the wooden floor, heading towards my direction. Although a voice in my head was screaming at me to run back to the bedroom, I couldn't even twitch my pinky finger; my whole body had frozen into shock as the realization had finally struck me. I only remained still on the last step of the staircase, watching the fire come closer and closer to me while my breathing started hitching with panic.

Before I could get the chance to expect it, a loud crack was heard at the same time as a large piece of the roof fell down just a foot away from me – causing me to squeak loudly in shock. I forced myself to turn around and sprint up the stairs, knowing that it was only the matter of seconds before something would fall down on me, too.

For one of the very few moments of my new life, I was more than glad that I was no longer human. Normally my feet would have moved with unbearable clumsiness, but since the panic could only bother my mind and not my body, I quickly and gracefully hurried up the steps of the staircase. It wasn't just the idea of safety that steered my feet in the direction of the bedroom – the photo album I'd looked through before was still a clear memory in my head, and I knew I couldn't leave the house without saving it, too.

I picked it up from where I'd left it before on the bed and immediately ran over to the open window that seemed to only leek in more of the strong scent of burning tree. I didn't even hesitate before I threw it out as far away from the house as I could, and I heard the low thud as it hit the grass. The carefulness I'd used earlier today was like a weak part of my mind that the shock and panic had easily chased away to the back of my head. I couldn't even feel a single strike of worry as I realized that the cover of the book probably hadn't taken so greatly by being thrown out on the lawn.

I remained still in front of the window as I deliberated whether or not to take the same exit as the photo album had – after all, jumping out the window wasn't exactly one of my favorite hobbies. The fresh lawn outside looked oddly tempting, but I was unable to make myself climb up onto the window frame – I didn't want to have to look down at the ground and know what it reminded me of.

I spun around again after a long second and sprinted out to the staircase. Even though I'd only been gone for less than a minute, the fire had spread more than I ever could have expected. Everywhere I looked, thick flames crawled over the floor and destroyed everything that came in their way. It had been silly of me to not take the exit through the window; there was no possible way for me to get myself to the front door without getting burned to ashes.

Just as I was about to turn around again and run back to the bedroom, the whole staircase suddenly collapsed with a horrifying crack, and my body fell to the floor with a loud thud. Although I knew it hadn't hurt me physically, I was silly enough to remain still for a short moment to make sure that the high fall hadn't affected me in any way. I couldn't see anything but smoke from where I was lying, which was both a relief and a horror to me; relief because the fire had not reached me yet, and horror because I knew that it wouldn't take more than a few seconds for the flames to appear.  
I slowly got up on my knees – I was too frightened of the sight I would surely be welcomed by if I got to my feet – and tried to sort out if the staircase was too damaged for me to be able to get up to the second story. I knew I would be able to escape the flames if I only got up from the first floor – it would be more than easy for me to jump out the window now that I knew it was my only escape.

But a fresh wave of shock rolled through my body as I saw that the staircase that would have led me up to a safe place was crumbled to the ground, leaving a huge gap between the first and second floor. I knew my body would be able to take me up to the second story, but the question was if there was enough time for me to figure out exactly _how_ to jump up in the air. I'd only experienced it on Isaac's back, which wasn't enough for me to know how to make my feet sweep over the straight wall.

Something large and heavy suddenly fell down just an inch away from my hands, and a loud scream escaped my lips before I could stop it. With quick moves, I crawled over the dirty wooden floor while gray smoke and dust filled my nose, causing me to instinctively cough loudly. It was just a reflex from what I'd learned from my childhood when my father had taught me all about what to do in the exact situation as this. In truth, my lungs didn't even react at all to the smoke that layered around me – it was just my own panic that caused me to hyperventilate.

My sharp eyes found a small area of the floor that hadn't been destroyed by neither pieces of the roof nor the thick flames that had started to appear everywhere around me, and I crawled over there while constant coughs left my lips. As I reached the empty place, I curled myself together into a ball and let my eyes close so that I could avoid seeing the disastrous scene around me. I knew I was doomed to die at that moment – there was no way for me to escape the flames that I feared would eat me up any second, and neither was there anyone here to save me.

But just in that second, as I waited for the fire to burn me into a pile of glowing ash – an image that caused constant shivers of fear to roll down my spine – I heard a voice that almost made me cry in relief.

"Jessica!"

Although I knew the sound of the beautiful voice was just a trick of my mind, an imagination my heart ached for to be true, it sounded oddly real. It was somehow lower and darker than it should have been, as if it was affected by the flickering sound of the flames that I knew where crawling closer to me.

The voice was heard again, only this time it was no more than a furious growl, and I let out a sigh as I let the sound of it fill me with enough calmness to wash away the panic. Even as the uncomfortable warmth of the flames flew over my stiff body, I couldn't feel a single strike of fear or panic in me. All I could feel inside of me was joy of hearing the utterly beautiful voice and relief that it was the last thing that filled my ears as I waited for the death that would meet me any second.

I couldn't even imagine how it would feel to be burned to death, but I was more than sure that the feeling of two strong hands gripping my upper arms too hard wasn't a part of the procedure. A incoherent mumble managed to slink out my lips, but I kept my eyes firmly closed – watching the fire lick over my body wasn't going to help me very much with soothing the panic. Even as I felt my body being heaved up from the hard floor, I refused to lift my eyelids.

An uncomfortable rush of air blew over my face and I felt a familiar feeling of being moved in an inhuman speed. The air didn't stop swirling around me, even as I felt the warmth from before disappear from me, and I was suddenly greeted by a cold breeze sweeping over my closed eyelids. The feeling of the cool air had a soothing effect on me; the second it filled my nose, it made my body slump back in the arms that were wrapped too tightly around me.

My eyelids lifted slowly as I gratefully took in the fresh air that now surrounded me, and before I was fully able to take in where I was, I pulled myself up from my lying position to lock my arms around the person that was holding me. The familiar scent coming from the certain person's shirt bored into my nose and I hugged myself closer for a long moment. The strong arms that had been holding me were suddenly wrapped even tighter around me, nearly crushing me against the person's chest.

The silent night was suddenly interrupted by a dark, yet utterly familiar voice, coming from the person I was hugging like a teddy bear.

"You alright?"

The realization didn't hit me until a few seconds had passed, but as it did, I immediately pulled back my arms and wormed myself out of the tight grip. Instead of gracefully landing on the ground as I managed to get myself free, I fell down like a heavy rock and landed with an audible thud on the slightly damp grass. I didn't bother about being humiliated or embarrassed by my clumsiness, though – all I could think of was the person that was standing right beside me with a grin on his lips.

Lucas.

"What the heck are you doing here?" I nearly hissed as I quickly got up on my feet again. My hands instinctively brushed off the dirt I knew had been rubbed in on the back of my jeans.

"It's nice to see you, too," he replied, his voice turning amused.

I was about to give him a cold glare when my eyes caught sight of the house in the background. It was barely possible to see that it was a house any longer, though – the whole building had changed into a huge bonfire. The smoke from the flames was lingering in the air around me, even though I'd been moved to at least a few hundred meters away from the house.

My eyes darted back to Lucas' face after a long minute.

"Did you do this?" I asked confusedly.

He stared at me with an incredulous expression on his face for a few seconds. "What?" he finally asked, his tone matching his facial expression precisely.

"Did you do this?" I repeated, my tone sharper this time. "I mean, I get it if you're mad at Isaac for leaving you behind, but this is just _insanity_…"

"I'm gonna stop you right there," he interrupted. "You think that _I_ set the house on fire?"

"Well…there's not really any other explanation to your sudden appearance."

"So the thought that I just wanted to visit my brother never occurred to you?"

I gave him a suspicious look. "You haven't had a normal conversation with Isaac since…I can't even remember when. And I doubt that either of you really want to meet each other."

"Maybe I wanted to apologize to him."

I raised my eyebrow, knowing that the words he spoke were far from the truth.

He stared at me for a few seconds. "Fine, then. I came because I wanted to see you."

His sudden confession was surprising enough to silence me for a long minute and my eyes dropped down to the grass beneath me as I tried to come up with something to say. Although I knew how I'd felt ever since Isaac and I'd left him, it suddenly felt utterly awkward and uncomfortable having him saying such things. Like I'd woken up from a dream and realized how silly I'd been to think it had been reality.

Still, as I glanced up at him again, it was impossible to deny the weak feeling of fluttering butterflies in my stomach.

"You know that isn't very appropriate," I finally said, my voice quiet.

"_What_ isn't appropriate?"

"You saying that."

"I'm just keeping you real," he said, his voice still lighter than usual.

I sighed quietly. "Well, I'd actually rather you didn't."

He stared at me for a long moment and in an attempt to avoid his piercing gaze, my eyes darted back to the disastrous scene behind him. The silence that filled the air was somehow not as steely as I'd expected it to be, but it was nowhere near the lightness that always seemed to surround me and Isaac.

"Do you honestly think that things will feel easier if I don't tell you the truth?" he finally asked, his voice more serious now.

I kept my gaze focused on the fire. "Honestly…no."

"Then why…"

I glanced over at his face again and cut him off before he could finish his question. "Hearing the truth only makes things harder. And I don't want that. I'm sick and tired of it."

"The truth might not always be what you want, but it's better than lies. I won't lie to you about how I feel – it's not fair for either of us."

"Not _fair_?" I said in a voice that was nearly a hiss.

He only stared at me in response, which made the sudden anger inside me grow stronger. I spun around in a swift move and was about to stomp away from him when a strong hand gripped my upper arm and pulled me a step back again. Although there was no use in fighting against his strength, I desperately and unsuccessfully tried to continue marching, which I knew only made me look foolish.  
It didn't take more than a few seconds for me to give up, and I turned around again to face him with an irritated sigh. He was only a few inches away from me and the closeness was more awkward than shocking to me – it gave me flashbacks from the moment I most likely wanted to just press into a small corner in the back of my mind.

Still, I managed to look at him without showing any of my wavering feelings.

"Look, I know now that I can't expect you to pick me instead of Isaac," he said, his dark voice showing nothing but graveness. "But are you really going to continue denying that you don't have any feelings for me?"

I could feel the emotions flicker over my face as I stared into his green eyes and he obviously saw it, because he was suddenly closing the already small distance between us. His grip around my arm was loose enough for me to be able to step back from him, but I couldn't make my feet move as he leaned closer and closer to my face. It was not until his lips were just about to press against mine that I managed to order my strangely swaying thoughts and press my hands against his chest to push him back a step – knowing that I would regret it deeply if I repeated the mistake of kissing him.

He didn't strain back as I shoved him away from me, which was a relief to me; I knew I wouldn't have a single chance against him if he used even _half_ of his strength. As he stood a foot away from me, I immediately jerked my hands back from his chest and took an unnecessarily large step backwards to create even more space between us.

There was a tiny quirk with the corners of his lips, as if he was fighting a smile, and I rolled my eyes at his amusement – he was acting like he was 20 years younger than he really was.

"First of all," I started in a slightly defensive tone after just watching him for a long second. "I do _not_ have feelings for you. And second, you've honestly got to stop doing that."

"It's always worth a shot," he replied calmly, ignoring my first statement. It was like my rejection didn't mean a single thing to him any longer.

"It's just a waste of time, though."

He shrugged. "_You _might think so. I don't."

I let out a quiet groan. "You're hopeless."

His only response was a smile that once again made him look like a 6-year-old. I couldn't understand where his childish manners had come from – it certainly wasn't the Lucas I'd gotten to know before. The problem wasn't his sudden mood swing, though – it was if his sudden and much unexplained happiness was a good or a bad thing.

My suspicious thoughts were interrupted when Lucas spoke again.

"Where is Isaac anyway?" he asked, his tone not curious enough to assure me that he really bothered about the fact that his brother hadn't showed up yet.

His question brought back the worry from earlier this day, and the thoughts about Isaac's absence immediately started swirling around in my head, causing my voice to sound distance as I answered Lucas.

"Just getting some supplies."

The night turned silent after I'd stopped speaking, which made me glance back at Lucas to find out why he'd become so quiet. His facial expression was an odd mix of different emotions, but I couldn't really sort out what any of them were; it was just a whole blur of everything.

"He'll be back any second now, though," I added quickly, hoping that my previous answer would be forgotten after that.

"I hope not," he muttered to himself, his face immediately changing into something close to disappointment.

"Well, you…"

My sentence was cut off by the roaring sound of a car being driven too fast, and I turned around just in time to see the familiar, black Mercedes race over the damp grass. I instinctively took a few steps back as I desperately tried to avoid the dirt that flew up in the air as the wheels of the car spurted over the ground, which caused me to back up against Lucas' chest. Despite the strong instinct to jump forwards again that filled me, I remained still instead of getting splattered with wet and mushy dirt.

The car pulled to a rough halt a few feet away from me and the car door flew open with a loud crack – it definitely wasn't designed for such hard use. Isaac was visible just a second later, but his eyes weren't set on Lucas or me, like I'd expected – his gaze was intently focused on the house that I knew was a big mess behind me.

Just as his body tensed like he was about to sprint right into the fire, he obviously caught sight of me standing a few feet away from him, because his whole facial expression changed like someone had turned on a switch. His eyes, which had been filled with a grief so strong it was a true agony to even watch, brightened with up with an unbelievable joy and a loud, relieved sigh left his lips.

Before I could get the time to really take in his sudden appearance, he was nearly running in my direction, and I took a few steps forwards to meet him halfway. His arms wound around me in an iron grip just as I locked mine around his neck, and his lips crushed down on mine only two seconds later.

I was not quite sure if it was the relief of finally seeing him, especially after what I'd been through, or if it was just the swirling sensation in my stomach that had appeared the second his lips had touched mine, but the thought of Lucas standing behind me vanished after less than a second.

It was not until a quiet hemming was heard that both Isaac and I jerked in shock, and I felt an uneasy feeling push away the butterflies in my stomach. I could only guess how Isaac's reaction would be and I realized at once that I would have to come up with something that would stop Isaac's fist from smacking against his brother's chin – an image I'd seen before.

His arms disappeared from my back at the same time as his lips left mine, and I desperately clutched my hands around his neck – hoping to keep him in place. Although I knew his strength was so much more powerful than mine, I refused to give up my struggle as his long fingers started prying my hands open, obviously trying to make me let go of him.

"Isaac," I nearly shouted at him as he managed to unlock my hands from his neck.

His eyes went from Lucas' face to mine, and then back again. "I've told you to stay away from her!" he growled, ignoring my hopeless attempts to make him listen to me.

"Isaac," I tried again, but he stepped away from me – creating an empty space between him and Lucas.

Before he could take a single step in the direction, I deliberately stepped in between them – causing Isaac to freeze slightly in shock. He obviously hadn't expected my protective reaction.

The shock only lingered in his eyes for a short second, though, before the anger burst up again.

"Jessica, step aside," he said, his voice not fully as fierce as before, but not even close to the soft tone he always used towards me.

"No," I replied firmly. "I'm not moving until you calm down. I've had enough of the fighting."

"Just ste—"

"No," I repeated, folding my arms across my chest in determination.

He stared at me for a long second with bewildered eyes, until he gave up with a sigh. I couldn't fully believe him, though – his eyes continued darting back to Lucas' face, and each time that happened, it was impossible to avoid seeing the anger that flared up in his gaze.

I wasn't aware of that Lucas had moved while I'd been trying to stop Isaac, which was why I jerked in shock when he was suddenly standing right behind my back. Even though I still didn't trust that Isaac wouldn't try to run forwards again, I quickly walked over to his side to avoid Lucas – causing another empty space to be created between the two brothers.

"Look, I know you probably want to rip my head off at the moment," Lucas said as I pulled to a stop beside Isaac, obviously speaking to his brother. His tone was much calmer than I'd expected it to be, but there was a slight strike of nervousness in his voice.

He gave the house behind him a meaningful glance before he continued speaking.

"But I think we've got a bigger problem to deal with first."

* * *

_**Okay, so I know that I took much longer time to update than what I'd expected. Writing has been quite hard for me these past two weeks and I really hope that this chapter won't get sucky just because of that. **_

_**And I know this is getting kind of nagging, but as always, I'd really like to see as many reviews as possible ;) **_


	20. Splintered

**_I'M SO, SO SORRY!_**

**_I had an exact idea of what to write, but when I sat down in front of the computer, I just couldn't make any sentence sound just as I wanted it to. Still, I feel like a total jerk for not updating for over a month! So, again, I'm really sorry and I hope you'll enjoy the chapter ;)_**

**_Anyways, my friend asked me to promote her story "GodsAngels". It's really good and it would mean a lot to both me and her if you checked it out; .net/s/6231935/1/GodsAngels._**

**_/BeCkYbOnG_**

**_

* * *

_**I'd known before we'd started trying to save the house that it would be nothing but foolish to expect that the flames would slowly vanish. I refused to let either of them get closer than a hundred meters, knowing how easily the fire could eat them up, while Isaac wouldn't let me get to the town to find someone that could help. I knew why he was so set on not letting me go to the citizens, though – all three of us were quite convinced that one of them had created this mess.

But since neither of us could come up with a plan to stop the fire from spreading even further, the only thing we could do was to watch the house slowly crumble to the ground. I couldn't really feel any sadness, though – it had never been as much of a home as my old house had been.

Isaac's arm wound around my shoulders while we all watched the flames for a long moment, which made the uneasy feeling in my stomach to cease slightly. It was nearly impossible to feel any fear or worry while he held me close.

"Don't you think anyone would have seen it by now?" I asked quietly after a few long minutes of silence.

"They should have," Isaac answered, his voice just as hushed as mine.

"Well, they probably have," Lucas said harshly. "But they were probably all in on it. Who would want vampires in their town?"

"But they don't know…" My tone drifted off in silence as the realization hit me, and I looked up at Isaac with shocked eyes. "Anne was behind this, wasn't she?"

His eyes were filled with a look that proved that he wasn't exactly as surprised as I was. "I didn't know she'd go this far," he said quietly.

"Then let's deal with her," Lucas said, a true threat in his voice.

"No," I said quickly. "We can't hurt anyone. Especially not since we don't know who did this."

"Jessica's right," Isaac murmured, and I sighed quietly in relief.

Lucas stared at us with his mouth open, as if he was about to shout at us any second, and remained like that for a long moment before he spoke in a voice much more quiet than I'd expected.

"Fine. Then what do we do?"

"_You_ are leaving," Isaac replied sharply, his voice changing from low to fierce.

"No, I'm not," Lucas said, sounding slightly defensive. "I'm here to help."

"Well, we don't need your help."

"Oh, really?"

I closed my eyes in frustration and let a loud, yet somehow unnoticed, groan leave my lips. Their arguing did not only make my head ache – it made me feel more helpless than ever. I couldn't do anything to stop them.

"Even if we needed any help, _you_ wouldn't exactly be my first choice," Isaac went on, totally oblivious to my irritation.

"You don't really have any other choices," Lucas snapped back.

Isaac opened his mouth to say something, but I spoke up before either of them could let out any other comments.

"Enough!" I nearly shouted. "I've had enough of this jabbering! You two are_ brothers_ and it's sure as hell time for you to start acting like that again."

"Jessica," Isaac started.

"No, you cannot 'Jessica' me," I cut him off, making the quote marks audible in my voice. "I'm not going to put up with this anymore."

Neither of them said anything else and my eyes darted back and forth between their faces while I waited for their arguing to begin again. It didn't.

"Well…okay," I said, unsure how to continue. I hadn't even imagined that they'd listen to me the slightest.

"You don't really make that great of a leader," Lucas commented quietly, his mouth twitching slightly as if he was trying not to smile.

"Oh, just…go sit in the car or something," I said, unable to come up with any better answer.

"I'm not some toddler you can order around," he replied, a tiny smirk visible on his lips.

"Well, you sure act like one sometimes," Isaac muttered.

I threw him a quick glance, and he gazed back at me for a long moment before he almost unwillingly shifted his eyes to Lucas' face again.

"Look, I'm not going to _rip your head off_," Isaac said after a few seconds of tense silence, using the same words as Lucas had before. "But I don't appreciate you coming here after I've told you to stay away from Jessica."

"I know," Lucas replied casually. "But I've told _you_ that I don't take orders from anyone, especially not from my little brother."

"I'm not ordering you – I'm _warning_ you."

Lucas only rolled his eyes in response. "You can relax. I'm not here to steal your girlfriend."

I could feel the irritation and frustration flare up inside of me again, and without really thinking, I stomped my foot loudly on the ground to get their attention.

"Sorry," Isaac said quietly.

I glanced at Lucas' face, but he only rolled his eyes and got into the backseat of the car without another word. Obviously he wasn't taking me very seriously.

Both Isaac and I stared quietly at the Mercedes for a long moment until I turned my gaze to him again to break the silence.

"Sometimes I just want to…"

The tiny, amused smile that appeared on Isaac's lips stopped me from finishing my frustrated sentence, and I wasn't sure if it was my irritation that was funny to him.

"That thought has entered my mind, too," he said, giving me an explanation to the smile. "_Countless_ of times."

I was about to smile back, but just then Lucas' voice was heard from behind me.

"I can still hear you, you know."

I threw one hard glance over my shoulder at him, which made him shut the car window he'd obviously rolled up. My gaze didn't have time to wander back to Isaac's face before his soft hand gripped mine, and I unwillingly followed him to the car.

As I got down on the comfortable seat, I couldn't feel anything but a deep tiredness.

This night wouldn't be pleasant.

* * *

I let my gaze follow the contours of the trees that passed by in the darkness outside the window, while my fingers absentmindedly twisted a strand of my thick hair. The awkward silence in the car had been hard to take in the first minutes, but as I'd let myself focus on the beautiful night outside instead, the impact tenseness had been easier to avoid thinking about. It was easy to get distracted by how the stars glittered across the nearly pitch-black sky and the way the trees blurred by in a speed that wasn't exactly normal.

"I can't believe this," Lucas suddenly burst out, his voice burning with anger and irritation.

I continued watching the nature that passed by the car, but from the corner of my eyes, I noticed how Isaac's hands tightened slightly around the steering wheel.

"Can't believe what?" he asked, his tone too steely to sound like he actually bothered about the answer to his question.

"That you won't let me take the ones that set the house on fire!" Lucas replied fiercely.

"Does killing innocent people really help anything at the moment?" I mumbled, keeping my eyes on the car window.

"Innocent," Lucas scoffed. "They're anything but _innocent_."

Isaac answered him instead of me. "Well, we got the message they wanted to give us."

His words sent a wave of emotions through my body, and I could feel the strangely humiliating tears press up behind my eyelids. Although it felt so surreal, I could quite understand the reason why anyone would try to kill us. But it did not mean that it didn't hurt. I couldn't phantom how much hate and hostility that had existed in the town I'd thought was so safe.

I didn't notice how the tears had welled over until Isaac's long finger suddenly wiped away them from my left cheek. My eyes darted to his face, and I wasn't surprised to see the worried expression that had darkened his beautiful features.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sounding just as concerned as I'd expected him to.

"It's nothing," I replied quietly, moving my gaze to the sky outside the window again.

He sat silently for a few seconds while his finger remained still on my cheek, and I let the urging tears roll over his skin without bothering about holding them back.

"What's bothering you?" he tried again.

I drew in an uneven breath in an attempt to sound normal when I spoke. "Can you please stop the car?" I asked, sounding just as shaky before.

"Wh—"

"Just stop the car," I repeated, my voice cracking slightly.

He let his hand grip around the steering wheel again as he roughly turned the car to the right and pulled to a sharp stop, causing me to fly forwards slightly.

"What's going on?" Lucas asked confusedly, but I ignored his question by unfastening my seat belt and throwing the door open.

I bolted out of the car and nearly ran across the fresh and damp grass that surrounded me. It didn't take more than two seconds before another car door was being opened and shut behind me, but I continued marching forwards, wanting to get as far away from the car as possibly. It was not until light footsteps were heard behind me that I pulled to a stop and sank down on the lawn with a heavy sigh.

My arms wound around my legs so that I could lean my forehead against my knees while I let the uncontrollable tears run down my already wet cheeks. I was not quite sure why I was crying so unstoppably – it just felt like a huge lump of repressed emotions had exploded inside of me.

I was aware of how Isaac got down beside me, but his arm didn't wound around my shoulder and neither did he say anything. I appreciated the silence, though – I couldn't bare hearing a single word at the moment.

But as the tears finally slowed down and I was able to pull in deep breaths again, I lifted my head slightly to look at Isaac. He was watching the stars on the sky with an unreadable expression on his face, obviously waiting for me to calm down before he even did so little as look at me.

"I just don't get it," I mumbled quietly after a short moment of just watching his still face.

There was the slightest twitch with his dark brown eyebrows, which made me think that he was listening much more sharply than it looked like he was.

"I don't get how things can change so quickly in such a short time," I continued after a few seconds, my voice still breaking slightly. "It seems like it was yesterday that my only problem was that I had to stand the humiliation of walking around with _crutches_," – I couldn't stop myself from adding a slight sourness to my voice as I said the word – " and now it's just…chaos. It's like the world has turned upside-down."

"I know," he said in a quiet voice, keeping his eyes on the sky above of us. "It's hard adjusting to a new life. It takes time."

"It's not that," I objected. "It feels like every single emotion I've felt during the past few months of my life as gathered inside of my head, just waiting to knock me down one day. Like it did now."

He glanced at my face with calm eyes. "I know how that feels, too. Don't you think I didn't feel like the worst person in the world when I had been turned?"

"You haven't done as much horrible things as I've done," I mumbled.

"I've done _worse_ things," he said darkly.

His words made me feel slightly uncomfortable, but they were not very surprising. I already knew about that part of his life.

"It doesn't matter," I said after watching him silently for a short moment.

A quiet sigh left his lips, but it didn't look like he was going to argue. "You're right," he said, giving answer to my assumptions. "It doesn't matter right now. We're talking about _you_."

He carefully, and almost hesitantly, laid his hand on top of mine, as if he was afraid I might shake it off.

"I'm not going to bite you," I muttered, realizing a second later how wrong that sentence sounded.

Isaac's mouth twitched slightly in a recognizable way and I didn't miss the strike of amusement that quickly flashed through his eyes.

"I know that," he said, a tiny smile visible on his lips.

I watched him silently for a short moment. "This is how I want things to be," I finally said, my voice slightly lighter than before. "Not the crying and all of that. I just want things to be this easy."

"Things _can _be that easy," he replied softly.

"But how?" I asked, both exasperated and confused. "With a fresh start?"

He nodded, but the light smile vanished from his lips as he suddenly glanced over his shoulder. I knew at once which thought that had appeared in his mind, and I couldn't stop myself from sighing quietly.

"Although it feels very odd for me to say this," I started, "I think we should give Lucas a new start, too."

"I know," he said, his voice a bit too strained to sound like he actually thought the same thing. "But it's harder than you think."

"Trust me, I know the feeling," I said, disagreeing to his words. "Don't you think it's hard for _me_ to not hold any grudges against him? That it's just a piece of a cake to see him without remembering everything he's done?"

"Then why do you want to forgive him?" Isaac asked, sounding slightly confused.

I hesitated slightly before I answered his question in a quiet mumble. "Because even though he's done all of those things, I can't blame him for what an awful person I've become."

"An awful person?" he said, sounding sincerely shocked to hear those words.

I only nodded in response while my eyes wandered back to the astonishing sky.

"Jessica, you are _not _an awful person," Isaac said in disagreement. "You're kind, loving…"

"Don't," I interrupted, my voice a frustrated hiss. "_I'm_ not the one who should feel like this! _I'm _not the one who should get any pity – _I'm_ the one who has done something wrong!"

I could feel his gaze burning on my face, but I kept my eyes focused on the stars while I tried to press back the fresh tears of frustration that had built up behind my eyelids. A long minute of silence passed before he finally said something – he had obviously not expected such an outburst from me.

"I don't blame you for what has happened, Jessica. And neither should you."

My eyes darted back to his face before I spoke in a much calmer voice than before. The tears that wanted to roll down my cheeks made it crack slightly, though.

"But there's no one else to blame," I said.

"You don't have to blame anyone," he replied in a soft voice. "It's in the past now."

I shook my head in disagreement, but he spoke again before I could.

"A fresh start, remember?"

"Right," I mumbled, though I still didn't agree to his previous words.

He rolled his eyes at my lack of enthusiasm, and I couldn't help but to smile slightly.

"Where are we even going?" I asked.

He watched me silently for a short moment before he answered. "I don't know. Wherever the road leads us, I guess."

I frowned at the thought of that; a life on the road did not exactly sound appealing. But as I continued staring into his piercing eyes, the disapproval vanished and was replaced by contentment.

"Or we could…"

"It doesn't really matter where we go," I cut him off. "As long as you're with me, it doesn't matter."

His blue eyes seemed to soften up more than I thought was possible and a lovely smile appeared on his lips, which made me feel utterly warm inside. His arm wound around my shoulders and dragged me closer to him so that I could lean against him.

We sat like that for a long minute while the comfortable silence around us made me feel almost sleepy. The stars on the sky continued twinkling above of us and made the moment so more beautiful.

"I wouldn't even bother if we stayed right here," I mumbled quietly after a while, smiling slightly at the thought of just sitting here forever.

"Well, if it wasn't for the fact that there's an irritated brother sitting in the car, I wouldn't have denied that option," Isaac replied with a smile audible in his voice.

I couldn't stop myself from letting out a light laughter. "You ought to think that he would react the slightest when hearing that."

"He's probably still caught up in the fact that he's not allowed to use violence," Isaac said, and this time there wasn't much happiness in his tone.

I wasn't sure how to respond to that, so I ended up sitting silently while his arms tightened slightly around me.

"Whatever his reasons are, we probably should go back to him," Isaac continued after a short moment. It was easy to hear how hard it was for him not to sigh.

"Well, I'm ready to go," I replied, although I didn't want to ever get up and return to the car.

He kept his arms around me for another minute and I didn't complain about how his embrace warmed me from my head to my toes. It felt much more uncomfortable when his arms vanished and let the air swirl around me again.

He seemed to notice my unwillingness as he'd swiftly gotten up on his feet, because he flashed me a quick smile before he reached his hand towards me. I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes before I grabbed his extended his hand and let him pull me up from the damp ground.

"You're silly," I said with a tiny smile on my lips. "I've been able to get up by myself since I was one year old."

"It's part of my nature," he replied softly, while he gripped my hand tighter instead of letting it go.

I rolled my eyes again as we started walking back towards the car, but the warmth of his hand embracing mine made me feel more content than amused by his overly polite manners. I felt nearly ten pounds lighter as the hard lump in my stomach had ceased, which made me feel like I was nearly bouncing. The only thing holding me to the ground was Isaac's soft, steady hand.

It was not until we reached the car again that I felt a sigh building up in my throat, and I couldn't stop myself from quickly glancing at the window to the backseat. My sigh got caught in my throat as I noticed that Lucas wasn't there and glaring back at me, which I'd been expecting.

The car was totally empty.

"Uhm…Isaac?" I mumbled, unable to raise my voice any louder.

"What's wrong?" he asked, instantly catching the edge to my tone.

I glanced up at his face with wide eyes and his eyebrows furrowed together with worry as he stared back at me.

"I don't think Lucas is waiting for us."

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**_Okay, I know I've said this like a thousand times, but I'm really sorry for how long time I've taken. And, if it's not too much to ask, I really hope you'll type a little review anyways ;)_**


	21. Return

**So, I'm finally back!**

**I know, I know. It took like two weeks of December for me to finish it and I'm so sorry. It's really been a few hectic weeks for me, but Christmas break is coming up next week and I'm planning on writing my ass off ;)**

**Anyways, I found an amazing picture when I was on the Internet yesterday. Half of the link disappears when I put it here, so instead I'm going to put it on my profile ;) I don't really know how I came to that picture, but I sat for a whole minute just staring at this picture. It's like _exactly_ how I imagine Isaac (except for the eyes ;D)!**

**I don't know how you see the characters of my story, or if you even see them like that in your head. But if you have any image of how you think any of the characters look like, it would be awesome to see it :D**

**I hope you enjoy the chapter! (;**

**/BeCkYbOnG**

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The trees passed by the car with a speed that made me flinch every now and then, but my wincing didn't make Isaac slow down. Even though I knew he wouldn't crash the car, I couldn't stop myself from biting down hard on my lower lip while I felt the car sway as it avoided ramming into something.

"How far do you think he's gotten?" I asked tensely, while the car jerked harshly enough to make my body fly to the side.

"I don't know," Isaac answered in a voice that sounded like a mix of a growl and a mutter.

His gaze was intently focused on the road in front of him and his hands gripped the steer wheel so hard that it looked like it would break any second. But there was something hiding deep in his eyes that made me think that the panic and fury weren't the only emotions that ran through his body at the moment.

His eyes almost looked pained.

"Will he really hurt anyone?" I whispered, suddenly unable to speak in a louder tone.

There was no answer to my question, and I couldn't stop a shaky sigh from leaving my lips. No matter how hard he pushed the car forwards, we obviously wouldn't get there in time to stop him from doing something I couldn't even bare to think of.

I glanced at the car window, but after only a few seconds of watching the rushing trees, I settled on looking at Isaac again. It felt like the hard silence in the car was choking me, but I had no idea what to say to make anything better.

"I'm sorry," Isaac suddenly said, his voice almost as quiet as a mumble.

"It's not your fault," I replied just as silently, though his words confused me slightly. Did he really think it was _his_ fault?

"I should have heard when he got out of the car," he continued, as if he hadn't heard me. "I should have..."

"Stop it," I cut him off, my voice so much louder than before that it made him flinch lightly. I pulled in a quick breath before I continued, my tone slightly calmer. "You can't blame yourself for everything, Isaac. You haven't done anything wrong."

I could see the disagreement appear in his eyes before I was even done, so it wasn't much of a surprise to me when he spoke up the second I was finished.

"But I could've stopped him," he said, his voice low but frustrated.

"And how exactly would you have done that?" I asked, my tone echoing his.

He hesitated before he answered – obviously he hadn't really thought of that. "I don't know," he admitted, though his voice showed that he was thinking very thoroughly for another reply.

"Then give it up," I said with a quiet sigh. "There's nothing we can do now, anyways."

He watched me silently for a short moment with unreadable eyes, until he turned his gaze to the road in front of him. Instead of slowing down, like I'd expected him to, his foot pressed down even harder on the gas pedal which caused my body to press back into the seat.

"It's not too late yet," he said determinately with his gaze still fixated forwards.

I wasn't sure whether to feel even more frightened by the way the car roared over the slick road, or to be relieved by how he seemed to be sure that we would be able to stop this bloodbath.

"When we get there," Isaac continued, oblivious to my wavering emotions, "we have to split up. If you go back to the house, I'll go…"

"Split up?" I interrupted. I didn't like where his sudden plan was leading.

He glanced at my face with strangely calm eyes, as if the panic and pain had just flown out of his mind – they looked _too_ calm. "That way we can find him faster," he explained.

"But…"

"It's just for a few minutes, Jessica."

"I know, but…"

He cut me off again. "The second either of us find him, we'll meet up again. I don't think anyone will disturb us, since…"

"Since they think we're dead," I finished his sentence, my voice more quiet.

We both sat silently for a few seconds, and as I glanced back at the window, I noticed how the area outside the car had changed while I'd looked away. It couldn't be much longer before we where there.

"I still don't like this idea, Isaac," I mumbled while I gazed out at the sky.

His fingers entwined with mine and the feeling of his soft hand squeezing my own made the worry cease slightly.

"I told you, no one will bother you," Isaac assured me, his voice softer than before.

"No one but your brother," I muttered.

The quiet chuckle I got in response to those words made the corners of my lips lift up slightly, although I hadn't meant my sentence to be very amusing.

"If you're lucky, I'll find him before you do," Isaac said, his tone edging between sour and humoured.

I didn't say anything in reply, which was not only because I wasn't sure what to say. Just a second after he finished his sentence, the trees outside the window changed, revealing the town that I'd thought we'd left for good.

I immediately noticed how my stomach twisted as I continued looking out at the new surroundings. As if it wasn't enough that we had to go back here, I would have to search through the town alone without holding Isaac's hand as support. I wasn't quite sure how my shock had gone over to fear as I'd realized how much hatred there existed in the town, but…

"Jessica?"

Isaac's soft voice interrupted my thoughts, and I glanced at his face in surprise.

"Did Lucas do anything earlier today, before I got there?" he asked, watching me cautiously, obviously assuming that I would avoid answering the question.

Which I tried.

"No," I mumbled, trying to hide any emotions from my eyes.

"Hmph," Isaac said in a mutter, apparently not fooled.

"Nothing happened," I sighed. "But even if it had, I wouldn't have told you anything about."

His hand, which was still holding mine, tightened slightly. "So you're saying something _did_ happen?"

"No!" My voice was nearly exasperated. "What I meant was that _if_ something had happened, I wouldn't have said anything. I know you would have reacted a hundred times worse than this."

"Than what?"

I glanced down at his hand meaningfully and his grip instantly loosened up.

"I get it if you don't trust him, or even _me_, when you're not there," I continued after a few seconds, my voice softer. "But nothing happened."

He nodded, though his eyes revealed that his thoughts were still doubtful. I knew there wasn't much I could say to make it better, so I sat silently while he drove the last bit. I tried keeping my gaze on the road, but I couldn't stop from watching every movement Isaac made from the corner of my eye. A twitch with his mouth, a tightening of the hand he kept on the steer wheel, a glance in my direction every now and then…I didn't know what to read of it, but it felt like he was deliberating on whether or not to tell me something.

Finally, the car pulled to a stop, turning the night dead silent.

"So we split up now?" I asked, managing to keep my tone calm.

He only nodded again, and I sighed before I pushed the door open to get out of the car. I was frustrated with the silent treatment I received from him and knowing I was about to search for Lucas, it didn't make my mood very much better.

"Jessica?"

His sudden call stopped me from slamming the door shut. He was leaning across the passenger seat, which looked quite hard with the seat belt still locked around him, and his face showed a worry I hadn't been expecting.

"What?" I asked.

"Be careful," he said, his eyes almost pleading.

I leaned into the warmth of the car and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

"I will," I promised.

* * *

The night felt cold on my skin as I wandered around, but I was sure it was just an imagination. I didn't like feeling the smell of burned wood coming closer every second, and neither did I enjoy thinking about the fact that anyone could show up and see me. Just the thought of meeting someone who could have been behind the fire sent chills down my spine.

I was glad that Isaac had taken the more dangerous task of searching for Lucas in town, though it wasn't that much of a surprise. He did whatever he could to make me as safe as possible.

But the idea of going back to the house wasn't very comforting.

"Lucas?" I called quietly while my eyes darted around, searching for his shape in the darkness.

The only reply I got was the wind rustling the leaves.

"Lucas," I tried again, my voice quiet but frustrated.

I continued walking for a long moment until the burned smell clung so tightly in the air that I knew I couldn't be far from the house. With steps that would be inaudible to human ears, I hesitantly walked over the fresh grass, waiting for the house to torn up in front of me. But the only thing meeting me was a mess of black walls and a large pile of ashes covering the ground.

I was about to walk over there to take a closer look, when I noticed the person standing just a few metres to my left.

Lucas' back was faced towards me, but the dark curls of his hair assured me that it couldn't be anyone else than him. I took a few steps closer so that there weren't much more than a few feet of space between us, but even though I knew he could hear me, he didn't move.

"No slaughtering, huh?" I asked quite loudly, though I knew he could easily hear me.

He only shrugged in response, remaining still without turning around. "Then why did you come back here?" I said, and when I continued, my voice took on a sarcastic tone. "To enjoy the sight?"

"You don't think I saw what you did earlier?" he replied calmly.

I felt my eyebrows furrow together in confusion, but before I could ask him what he meant, he slowly turned around to face me. In his hands was the black album I'd thrown out earlier, and I felt slightly nauseous as I was reminded of the panic I'd felt in that moment.

"Why did you save it?" he asked, staring at me with a mixture of curiosity and confusion.

His intense gaze made me uncomfortable, and I rocked back and forth on my heels for a few seconds before I answered his question.

"I don't know," I admitted, my voice slightly lower than before. "I couldn't just let it burn up. All of the memories in there are just…they're just too valuable to throw away."

He continued staring at me for a long moment while the emotions in his eyes dissolved and changed until it was impossible to read what was in his gaze.

"You're welcome," I said sourly before I swirled around to walk back the way I'd gotten here.

There was a well-known, swishing sound behind me, and I wasn't surprised when Lucas appeared on my side. I kept my gaze focused forwards as I continued walking, but I could feel his eyes on my face, which made me feel a bit frustrated.

I couldn't stand more than a few seconds.

"What?" I asked, my tone much louder than before. I immediately shut my mouth close, remembering that no one was supposed to see or hear me.

My eyes darted quickly to his face and back, but it was long enough for me to notice the tiny grin on his lips.

"There's got to be another reason you saved this album," he replied. From the corner of my eye I noticed how he waved the photo album in the air, as if he thought I didn't know what he was talking about.

I couldn't stop my gaze from wandering back to his face. "And why is that?" I asked.

One of his eyebrows arched upwards. "I don't believe that you only did it because you didn't want it to burn up. It's not even pictures of _you_."

"Believe whatever you want."

He rolled his eyes at my short and sour reply. "I didn't even know you'd seen this," he continued, obviously not so keen on changing the topic. "It's kind of…private, you know."

"And how would you know what private means? The last time I checked, you were eavesdropping on every single word that Isaac and I shared."

"Your attempts to change the subject are pathetic," Lucas replied, obviously not fooled by my way of trying to talk about something else.

"Well, so are your attempts to find out why I saved that photo album," I retorted, feeling the need to snort something back at him.

He rolled his eyes again. "Why won't you just tell me?"

I remained silent while I moved my feet faster over the cold ground.

"Does the pictures have some sort of _sentimental_ meaning to you, or what?" he continued. "Although, that would be kind of odd, since _I_ don't even care much about them."

"Those photos doesn't mean anything to you?" I asked, shocked by his words. "It's the only pictures you have of your past!"

"Well, maybe I don't want to remember my past," he said in such a sudden quiet voice that I wasn't sure if it was meant for me to hear.

I pulled to a stop so that I could look clearly at him, and he quickly stopped walking, too.

"Maybe those photos don't mean a thing to _you_, but I don't think Isaac shares your opinion about that. And neither do I. Like I said, you can't just throw away that album – it's the only thing that can remind you of who you are…or who you were at that time."

I closed my mouth quickly when I realized how my last sentence had flown out without me thinking of it. The picture of him and Isaac standing beside each other with beautiful smiles on their lips was still lingering in my mind. And I knew for sure that I wouldn't let that photo ever disappear.

Lucas stared at me in silence for a long moment, his green eyes boring into mine with enough intensity to make me look away after only two seconds.

"We should probably keep on going," I mumbled awkwardly and turned around to hurry towards the area where Isaac had left the car.

I heard Lucas' steps behind me. "Who I was at that time?" he asked, and I could hear the amusement in his voice.

"Oh, shut up," I muttered and he chuckled quietly in response.

We walked in silence for a short while, and for a moment I wished he wouldn't open his mouth until Isaac had joined us. I felt way too awkward to be able to keep a conversation with him. And I didn't feel like talking to him at the moment.

But of course he didn't share the same feelings.

"So, where's my little brother?" he asked when the trees began to surround us.

"Out looking for you," I replied without glancing over my shoulder at him. "Unlike _you_, he actually has enough responsibility to search for his own brother."

"I doubt that," Lucas said in a tone that was just as bright as before. "He's out there because he has _enough responsibility _to save the others from his own brother."

I rolled my eyes, though he couldn't see it. "Well, at least that means he's a good person. Which is something you might want to check up on."

He scoffed something incoherently and I couldn't stop from rolling my eyes again.

"You know, you could at least be a bit grateful that he cared enough to turn back here to get you," I said, throwing a glance over my shoulder at him.

"Haven't you noticed how grateful I am?" he replied, his voice sarcastic. "I'm _so_ happy to spend a few more hours in the car with him."

"Well, I'm not very happy about spending more time with _you_, but I don't complain about it," I shot back.

"Then why bother finding me?"

I shrugged, knowing he could see it. "You may be an irritating jerk who cares about nothing but himself, but you're still Isaac's brother."

He sounded amused when he said, "Part of that might be true."

"I wouldn't have said it otherwise."

I caught a glimpse of the moonlight dancing on the sleet surface of the Mercedes a second later, and I quickened my steps to see if Isaac was back there yet. The whole car came in view quickly, but to my dislike, Isaac wasn't anywhere near it.

I pressed back a sigh in my throat.

"So, what do we do now?" Lucas asked, his voice a bit closer.

Knowing the car doors would be locked, I hopped up on the front part of the car instead. "We wait," I then said, taking in the way Lucas had pulled to a stop a few feet away from me with an odd expression on his face.

"You have any idea when he'll be back?" he asked, looking around as if he was expecting to see Isaac jump out of one of the bushes.

I raised my eyebrows. "You really expect me to _know_ how long he'll take to search for you?"

He rolled his eyes at me. "I was just asking."

I wasn't sure what to say in reply, so I just let my eyes wander away from his face while I hopefully waited to hear Isaac's steps in the woods around us. After a minute of nothing but a compact silence, though, I gave up with a sigh.

I glanced back at Lucas' face, finding him staring up at the sky with an absentminded look on his face.

"Where were you?" My words flew out before I could think of stopping them.

His eyes darted to my face and I could see the questioning look in them.

"Before you came here," I explained, knowing I wouldn't be able to lie about what I meant. "Isaac wouldn't tell me."

The realization appeared quickly in his gaze, but he didn't answer me right away. Instead he walked over to where I sat and hopped up beside me. I felt an urge to scoot away, but I didn't have the energy to do it. It wasn't until now that I realized how long it had been since I'd gotten any blood and I knew it was starting to wear off on me, though just the thought of what my body craved for made me slightly nauseous.

"It's not exactly a secret," Lucas said, turning his head to look at me while he spoke. "I don't see why Isaac didn't tell you."

"Then where were you?" I asked, sounding almost like an impatient child.

His facial expression turned severe in just the split of a second. "I was…everywhere. I went to all the places I'd been in, all the places where I'd…Where I'd killed someone."

I didn't like the answer, but instead of sitting silently, I quickly burst out, "That must have been quite a lot of places."

"Quite," he agreed with a roll of his eyes.

There was a short moment of silence before he spoke again.

"It just felt like something I had to do," he said, the graveness suddenly back in his voice.

My eyes instinctively lowered to the my hands – I was so used to do it when it became awkward that it was nearly a habit.

"I wish you were doing it for yourself," I replied more quietly.

There was no answer to that, and I sat silently for a long moment while I let my legs dangle slightly – a movement that distracted me from thinking of how steely it felt to sit beside him.

If it hadn't become so silent, I'm not sure if I would've heard the sound of footsteps as soon as I did. They came from a long distance, probably from just the beginning of the forest, but they were audible enough for me to lift my gaze to the direction it came from. But it didn't take me more than a few seconds to realize that the steps landed way too heavily on the ground to belong to a vampire.

I lifted my gaze to Lucas' face, and his eyes showed the same shock that I could feel inside of me. Even with my heightened senses, I felt confused when everything around me suddenly started swirling. I could feel a hand gripping my wrist tightly, and it was the only thing that kept me from shouting out in surprise.

It was shocking when I suddenly found myself being deeply hidden behind trees and branches, but I didn't have time to ask Lucas what was going on before he put his finger to his lips to show me to be quiet.

Obviously, I wasn't the only one who had realized that it wasn't Isaac who was coming.


	22. Road trip

**Yeah, I think I've officially run out of ways to apologize for my sucky updating now. I just want to punch myself in the face for being such a lazy writer, especially when I read the sweet reviews you give me. You guys are just so amazing! :) **

**Anyways, here I am with a new chapter and an honest promise to update really quickly ! **

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**Road trip**

I waited for my legs to start aching while I sat crouched behind one of the many trees, but it felt like I could remain in the position for hours. Lucas sat just a few inches away from me – a distance too small to please me – and I could feel his breath on my cheek every now and then. I didn't feel like complaining at the moment, though; the footsteps we'd heard before had vanished just as quickly as they had appeared, but I assumed that the person the steps belonged to hadn't fully disappeared from the area.

But after a minute of total silence, I couldn't stand it.

"We have to find Isaac," I whispered as quietly as I could. I turned my head to look at Lucas, and I felt my body freeze with shock as I realized how close his face was to mine.

He didn't seem at all bothered with the closeness. "It's not safe to move right now," he replied casually, though his voice was just as silent as mine.

"I don't care if it's safe," I shot back. "If Isaac comes back now, he won't know that someone is out there. And that person is probably making sure that we aren't alive anymore."

"Isaac is smart," Lucas said calmly. "He probably heard the steps, too. I'm sure he's around here somewhere."

"We can't rely on that. He could be in danger!"

Lucas didn't say anything in response to that, so I got up on my feet to go searching alone. Just a second later, though, a hand on my wrist pulled me down to the ground again.

"Let go of me," I hissed, but his grip didn't ease the slightest.

I was about to shout something at him, but just then a branch cracked a few feet away from us. Lucas' other hand covered my mouth before a single sound could leave my lips, and I didn't struggle against his grip as I pressed myself closer to the tree behind me. The forest was dead silent for a few seconds until the same footsteps from before were audible. Fortunately, the direction of the steps was not towards where we were hiding.

Lucas' hand remained still for a little longer than necessary before he removed it from my mouth, but I didn't dare to say anything at the moment. Instead, I kept silent until the footsteps were so far away that they were barely able to hear.

I once again got interrupted as I was about to ask him if we could go, but this time the sound of footsteps were familiar enough to make me sigh quietly in relief. Before I could get up from my sitting position, Isaac came into view quite a few metres away from us, his eyebrows raised questioningly. Lucas' hand instantly disappeared from my wrist.

"You're two vampires against one human…and you're hiding behind a tree?" Isaac asked, his voice shockingly much louder than I'd expected. There was no anger in it, though – amusement was a better description of his tone.

"Guess whose idea it was," I said, shooting a meaningful glance in Lucas' direction. I jumped up from the cool ground and carefully made my way over the branches that laid almost everywhere around my feet.

Isaac's fingers entwined with mine the second I got to his side. "Surprising," he murmured, and this time I couldn't tell whether his tone was sarcastic or not.

I turned my gaze to Lucas, who had gotten up with his hands raised almost defensively.

"Security reason," he said, though it nearly sounded like a question. I was quite sure he was aware of how little Isaac appreciated the situation he'd put us all in.

The forest turned dead silent for a long moment.

"I don't see any corpses around here," Isaac finally said, breaking the silence. I flinched slightly at the word '_corpses_', but he didn't seem to notice.

Lucas seemed relieved to have the subject changed, because his voice was much calmer when he replied, "I changed my mind. They don't deserve my time."

I rolled my eyes at that.

"Oh, get over yourself," Isaac said. There was a small glint of amusement in his eyes, and the sight of it made me a bit hopeful, though I knew that the calmness between them probably wouldn't last for longer than a few minutes. "You still have to make it to the car."

* * *

The car was silent as we once again drove it over the slick roads, but my chest felt much lighter than it had before. I'd taken a slight risk by offering to switch seats with Lucas, but the tension between him and Isaac seemed to be smaller than previously. I was holding my breath that it could stay that way for at least another hour.

We'd driven for so long that the town had to be miles away, and the further away we got, the better I felt inside. I had no track of what time it was or how many hours had passed since the fire, so it was slightly surprising when I noticed the sun cracking up at the horizon. That surprise only lasted for a short while, though; my body was getting more and more tired with every minute that passed. It hadn't been until the worry and fear had lifted from my shoulders that I'd realized how weak I'd become.

I stopped myself from mentioning it, afraid that it would ruin the calmness.

"Where are we going?" I asked instead. It was shockingly hard to make my voice even.

I didn't escape noticing how Isaac watched me through the rear-view mirror. Apparently, he wasn't fooled by my effort to talk normally.

"As far away from here as possible," he finally said, before he quickly changed the subject. "How are you feeling?"

"Just fine," I answered as casually as I could.

He frowned as he heard my lie.

"I'm fine," I repeated, and this time, Lucas turned in his seat to give me a doubtful glance.

"You don't look that fine," he said, his tone almost disapproving.

I gave him a cold look, but he only watched me silently for a few long seconds before he turned to Isaac instead.

"When was the last time she drank?" he asked, and I felt my eyebrows lower over my eyes as I realized he was talking about me.

"I'm sitting right here!" I exclaimed, and I saw the same amusement tinder in Isaac's eyes for a short moment until it changed into severity.

"It's been long," he said to Lucas. For the first time in a very long time, his voice didn't sound so strained when it was directed to his brother.

"I thought you were out fixing blood earlier," Lucas replied just as calmly.

I crossed my arms over my chest in a nearly defensive pose while I glared at the back of their heads, but neither of them seemed to be bothered by it. Before I could say anything, the car wrenched to the right in a sudden move – causing me to slam into the car door – and pulled to a rough halt. Both of them were out of their seats in the split of a second, and I managed to hold my body upright as Lucas appeared on the other side of the door I'd just smashed into.

A fresh breeze brushed my face as he opened it, but I was distracted by the sound of the trunk-lid being opened.

"Are you okay?" Lucas asked, leaning into the car. It was hard to focus on him and his words while my throat started aching by a familiar scent coming from behind me.

Isaac appeared at his brother's side just a short moment later, and I struggled to keep my gaze on his beautiful face instead of the thing he held in his hands. I didn't miss the nearly warning glance that Lucas received from him, though, and neither did I escape noticing the odd look on Lucas' face before he got back into his own seat.

But after only two seconds, all I could concentrate on was the plastic bag Isaac was reaching towards me.

He had knelt down outside the car so that his face was at the same level as mine, and the sudden thirst inside of me started weakening as I realized what the content of the bag was. Although my body and mind was screaming at me to rip open the plastic material, there was still a small part of me that was sickened out by it. Isaac's expression was expectant during the first few seconds as he waited for me to take the bag, but as I continued just staring at it, a wave of worry flashed across his eyes.

"Jessica," he started slowly, but I shook my head to stop him before he could say anything else.

But Lucas continued for him instead.

"Think of it as something else," he said quietly from the front seat, surprising me slightly.

I felt the doubt bubble up a short moment later, though.

"He's right," Isaac murmured as he saw the emotion in my eyes. "It's your old instincts that are still inside of you."

I was still doubtful to their theory – just the thought of opening the bag made me both nauseated and thirsty. But I didn't have much time to deliberate before Isaac dragged off the thin straw and stuck it down, causing the scent to get stronger. Lucas groaned quietly, but I ignored him as my new senses took over and made me unwillingly snatch the bag.

As I was finished just a short moment later, my body felt nearly tingly with warmth.

Isaac watched me silently for a few seconds, and I could see the worry in his eyes slowly dissolve and change into something lovelier. One of his hand reached up and when it traced my cheek slowly, another layer of warm comfortableness was added inside of me. The calmness of the moment brought back memories from how it had been a few months ago.

I took his hand away from my face to hold it in mine as I scooted over to the other seat to give him space in the car. The corners of his mouth lifted upwards slightly before he got in and shut the door. As soon as it closed, the fresh morning air was only a faint memory and instead I was greeted by the compact silence coming from the front seat.

"Will you take over the driving for a while?" Isaac asked; I knew at once that the question wasn't directed to me.

Lucas moved without saying anything in reply, managing to look graceful as he climbed over to the driver's seat. I wanted to give him a grateful look, but he didn't glance back at me before he started the car and swiftly drove it back onto the road. My gaze lingered on the back of his head for a short moment until I tore it away to look at Isaac instead.

He was gazing out the window with an absentminded look on his face, but it felt like he was more present than his expression showed of. I watched him for a few seconds until I leaned my head softly against his shoulder. With the worry gone from my mind and my body feeling much healthier than before, it was easy to enjoy the warm feeling of his hand holding mine tightly.

I threw a last glance at Lucas, who kept his gaze determinately focused on the road ahead of him, before I closed my eyes. For a long moment, the only sounds in the car were Isaac breathing calmly beside me and the engine roaring softly in the background. I had to bite my lip to stop the urge to smile.

The silence in the car only lasted for a short moment, though.

"Are you asleep back there?" Lucas asked, though his voice showed that he didn't seem much interested by the answer.

"Making small talk?" I replied, keeping my own tone casual.

"Not really, no," he said.

I lifted my head from the shoulder I'd been resting on to find the reason to why Isaac remained quiet beside me, and I couldn't stop from smiling as I realized what it was. His body had slumped back in his seat and his closed eyes made the rest of his features look so peaceful. I guess I hadn't noticed how slow his breathing had gotten.

"I think we do have a sleeping one here," I said to Lucas, the smile audible in my voice.

I heard Lucas turn in his seat, but when I glanced at him, he quickly shifted back to staring out at the morning sun. I rolled my eyes at him, though I doubted he could see it, before I looked back at Isaac instead. I could clearly remember the last time I'd seen him sleeping; it had been the day when I'd jumped out the window during his rest to get some fresh air. It felt like years instead of months ago.

"He looks ridiculous," Lucas muttered from his seat.

"He looks adorable," I corrected him, not taking my eyes off Isaac's peaceful face.

Lucas scoffed something incoherent, which I ignored by going back to resting my head against Isaac's shoulder. It wasn't until now that I realized how slack his fingers had gotten; it was just my own strength that was keeping our hands linked. I didn't want to let go, though.

I watched the back of Lucas' head for a short moment while I deliberated on whether to speak again or not. It seemed silly to take the risk of making the moment awkward or tense, but I didn't feel like leaving him in silence.

"So," I finally said, my voice a bit lower. I didn't expect Isaac to wake up by my voice, but neither did I want to risk that his peaceful slumber got interrupted.

"What?" Lucas asked. He didn't sound very engaged in the conversation.

"When is this truce between you and Isaac going to end?" I continued, though I wasn't sure if I wanted the answer.

I couldn't see his reaction to my question, but his voice sounded a bit surprised when he answered, "I thought this was what you wanted."

"True," I said. "But it still doesn't make much sense. It's like...someone has turned a switch."

He didn't say anything in response to that, and I felt my eyes narrow as I continued watching him. I could barely catch a glimpse of his face in the rear-view mirror, but it showed enough of his now nearly mystical expression.

"So you're doing it because it's what I want?" I tried, raising my eyebrows expectantly.

"That's not...I didn't say that!"

His sudden outburst shocked me slightly, but I kept my facial expression cool.

"Then I assume it's just your _explicit_ fondness for being nice to your brother," I said, letting my eyes trail back to Isaac's calm face.

Lucas was quiet for a short moment, but the way the engine roared as he pressed down harder on the gas pedal, it was easy jumping to the conclusion that he had quite a lot of answers on his mind. I kept my gaze focused on Isaac as long as possible, but I couldn't stop from glancing in Lucas' direction every now and then.

Finally, he broke the silence, though it was with words I couldn't fully understand.

"You just love rubbing it in my face, don't you?" he said, voice low and frustrated.

"Rubbing _what_ in your face?" I asked. My confusion was audible.

He shook his head in what I counted as irritation, but that was the only answer I got to my question. I wasn't quite sure, but I could guess what he was talking about.

And if I was right, I wanted him to stop thinking about it as quickly as possible.

"Any new plan of where we're heading?" I asked, my voice sounding a bit too innocent.

"You're changing the subject," he stated.

"Can you blame me for that?"

It took a few seconds for him to answer that, and when he did speak, he was replying to my earlier question.

"We probably have to wait for Mr Sleepyhead to wake up before we choose somewhere to go," he said. I didn't like the sudden sarcasm in his voice.

"That's not a very good plan," I commented, though it didn't bother me that much. I could go anywhere as long as it meant I didn't have to move from where I was sitting now with my head resting against Isaac's shoulder.

"Got any better one on your mind?" Lucas shot back.

I felt my eyes narrow suspiciously. "You seem to be in a bad mood."

"Oh, well, I'm sorry that I don't fit in here with the love turtle theme."

A nearly surprised laughter left my lips, but I silenced it quickly.

"So that's what it's all about then?" I asked. "_Jealousy_?"

"Jealousy," he scoffed.

"You can't fool me that easily," I replied calmly.

"I'm not trying to fool you with anything. I'm not jealous."

"You just lied again," I teased. It was ridiculously amusing for me to see how he nearly twitched with the uncomfortable situation I seemed to have put him in.

The glance I received from him a second later was murderous enough for me to almost regret the last comment, but I kept my gaze steadily focused on him instead of letting it drop to my hands. It was quite a challenge not to simply look away, though.

I wasn't very surprised when the silence started getting tense, but I still didn't like the awkwardness of it. I wasn't sure if mentioning something else would help, though – I had quite a clear feeling that he most likely wouldn't be very conversable for the nearest hours. Hopefully, Isaac wouldn't wake up until his brother's mood had passed.

A soft sigh escaped my lips as I finally tore my gaze away from Lucas, and it took me a few seconds to find a new place to settle it on. The sky outside the car was starting to change into lovely colours of orange and pink, and even with the steely silence surrounding me, it was hard not to feel content while watching it. Frankly, I had no idea where we were, but I didn't want to raise the question. Lucas' clear anger brought back more frightening memories of him from before I'd been turned.

Although the sound of Isaac's slow breathing was comforting, I still longed for him to wake up. I was quite convinced that he didn't have many ideas of where we could go, but I didn't like keeping all my questions inside of me. It made it feel like something was nibbling on me, urging me to push out the things that made my mind cloudy with emotions.

After many long minutes had passed, the comfortableness inside of me starting changing into frustration as I realized how badly I wanted to throw something in Lucas' head to stop him from just sitting there, reeking out bad feelings into the car. Of course I'd never proceed with the plan; I knew he would catch whatever object I chose before it could touch him, and I wasn't sure if I had enough control of my catching reflexes if he decided to throw it back.

I doubted he would, though.

I glanced away from the window and its beautiful view to look back at Lucas – or whatever I could see of him. From the poor overlook I could get from the rear-view mirror, it seemed like he was keeping his gaze perfectly focused on the road in front of him. It surprised me a bit; by the way his hands were tightly gripping the steering wheel, I'd been expecting his eyes to dart around with the same obvious irritation that was radiating off of his body. I had a feeling it wasn't my words that had pissed him off so fully.

After a long moment, I settled on looking down at my legs instead, which were still covered by my now slightly battered jeans. It wasn't that shocking how little they'd recovered from the previous night, but the sight of them disturbed me. All my other clothes had been burned, leaving me with only this quite ruined outfit.

It gave me an idea of where we would have to go first.

"Hey, Lucas?" My voice was careful, even a bit cautious.

I knew he'd heard me clearly, even though he didn't give me an answer.

"I think there's somewhere we need to go," I continued after a long moment of waiting for a reply.

He sighed so quietly that I wasn't sure if I was supposed to hear it and when he finally spoke, it didn't sound like he wanted me to answer his question. "And where would that be?"

I paused slightly to make my voice as sweet as possible before saying, "You don't happen to know where the nearest mall is, do you?"

* * *

**So I'm not really that satisfied with the chapter, but I hope you didn't find it a total disaster ! **

**And of course, it would totally make my day if I got some reviews ;)**


	23. Chaos

**I've got two words for you:**

**100 reviews !**

**Gosh, I'm just so amazed! When I first started writing, I never expected to get even 50 reviews. I'm just _so, so_ hyped right now and I really want to thank all of you who've helped me get to this amazing number ! Even if I don't reply to all of the reviews, each one of them still mean incredibly much to me ;)**

**Anyways, I don't know if you guys noticed, but I totally screwed up on the title for the latest chapter. For all of the other chapters I've had titles with only one word and I guess I just didn't see my mistake with 'road trip' until I'd uploaded the chapter x)**

**Well, I hope all of you enjoy the chapter (with a title of only one word)! **

**

* * *

**

**Chaos  
**

The car was completely silent as I watched the many people outside of it, my eyes wide open with a mixture of terror and amazement. I wasn't sure what had made Lucas agree to my plan, but I had a feeling it could have something to do with the fifteen minutes I'd spent begging him. At that time, it had seemed like a great idea to get here and make sure we looked more casual. I'd never been that much of a fan of the whole shopping-and-spending-time-at-the-mall, but it couldn't look wrong with two sixteen-year-olds wandering around in the sociality for a while.

But it was a different matter with Lucas. Sure, it couldn't be odd to see a man in his twenties spend some time at the crowded mall, but it raised suspicions when that person was glaring at everyone as if he was about to strike any second. Which was what he would do after only a few seconds.

I stretched discreetly in my seat to be able to see Lucas' reflection in the rear-view mirror; he looked stable for the moment, just watching the people outside with an absentminded expression. That causality would change the second someone opened the car door, though.

My movement, though very small, made Isaac flinch softly, and my eyes instantly darted to his face in anticipation. His eyes were nearly closed, and I could barely make out how his gaze was fluttering around, taking in the different scenario. Finally, though, he seemed to catch sight of me sitting beside him.

"Hey," he mumbled sleepily. I smiled at his adorability; his hair wasn't all too rustled, but it was messy enough to make him look more boyish as he peeked at me with a slight smile on his lips.

"About time," Lucas commented from his seat.

At the sound of his brother's voice, Isaac's eyes opened fully and he straightened in his seat, reality obviously coming back to him. I shot a cold glance in Lucas' direction, but he had his head turned from me.

"Way to ruin the moment," I muttered to him, knowing his ears wouldn't miss it.

I watched Isaac cautiously as he started glancing around himself again, trying to figure out where we'd taken him. Lucas hadn't told me which city we were in, but it didn't concern me much. By the number of people being out already, it was a much bigger place than my hometown, though.

Finally, realization seemed to strike Isaac.

"Jessica," he said slowly, focusing his slightly confused gaze on me. "Where are we?"

"It doesn't really matter," Lucas answered for me. His voice was detached; he clearly wasn't over his odd mood. "We'll just go in for a short moment, and then we'll continue driving."

"Oh, _we_ are not going anywhere," Isaac said, his tone instantly turning sharp. It took me a second to realize that he hadn't gone back to his usual hatred for his older brother – he had apparently just come across the same fact as I had. Lucas wasn't steady.

"He's right," I joined in. "You shouldn't go in there."

"What's your plan to stop me?" Lucas replied in the same indifferent tone as before, though there was something else lurking behind his words. Smugness, perhaps.

"Use your common sense and you'll realize how silly you are if you think you can stand one minute out there," I said, trying not to sound abrupt.

He turned around to look at me; I didn't like the way his raised eyebrow made his expression nearly mocking.

"And what makes you think that _you_ can handle it better?"

The only thing missing was that he didn't point a finger in my direction, or I would've snapped at him.

"Just face it, I've got better control than you," I said as calmly as I could. It was hard to miss the slight edge of cockiness hiding in my tone, though.

I was sure Isaac heard it, too, because the smile that cracked up on his lips a second later was awfully familiar to me. I did my best to keep a casual facial expression, but his amusement threw me a bit off guard. Lucas only watched us with a blank expression, either not seeing the reason behind Isaac's smile or just not in the mood for bothering about it.

It turned out that neither of my assumptions were right, though; he was still caught up in the conversation.

"I doubt you can stand longer than me," he said.

I didn't have to answer him this time; Isaac swiftly pushed the car door open, letting in air filled with different scents. Though he closed it just a few seconds later, it was all it took for Lucas' hands to grip the steering wheel so tightly it looked like it would break any moment. I was too surprised by his reaction to be able to sneer something at him.

As his hands eased their grip a long moment later, he only turned back in his seat so that he was looking out the window instead of at me. I pushed back the pity that wanted to burst up inside of me, knowing I shouldn't feel the slightest bad for him. It didn't fully stop my emotions, though.

I watched the back of his head silently for a few seconds before I opened my own door and hesitantly got out of the now quiet car. My hands instinctively shoved the door shut again, but it didn't stop me from hearing the small warning Isaac shot at his brother before he got out, too. Though I knew having Lucas with us would be a reckless plan, it didn't feel much safer to leave him alone in the parking lot, where we couldn't see if he kept himself under control.

As Isaac appeared on my side just a few seconds later, I instinctively reached for his soft hand, craving the calm feeling of his touch. I hadn't expected to feel as lost as I did; without the safety of the car surrounding me, the world was revealed in a shocking new way. My ears caught sounds from deep inside the mall and my nose found scents I hadn't smelled in months. I had forgotten how sharp my senses were, and realizing it once again left my mind in a confused daze.

My eyes wailed around quickly, taking in each one of the many persons strolling around, but my sight was blocked as Isaac moved to stand straightly in front of me. His soothingly calm gaze caught mine in a beat, but my confusion didn't fully cease until his hands cradled my face softly. My thoughts kept spinning in my mind, but this time it wasn't in a worried way.

"Look," Isaac started, speaking in a voice just as calm as his eyes, "I'm figuring this was your plan."

I nodded, though with slight difficulty.

"Then why are you hesitating?" he continued softly. "You wouldn't have come up with this if you hadn't thought you could handle it."

"I actually don't know if I was really thinking at all," I mumbled.

He smiled slightly at my hushed words, but instead of using more soothing words, he leaned in to leave a warm kiss on my lips. As my own hands, acting on their own, trailed up to lock around his neck, he didn't move away like I half-expected him to. The small butterflies that started flickering in my stomach made me want to smile; I found it silly how my body still reacted that way when Isaac kissed me.

The moment was ruined when a hard knock from inside of the car was heard, causing me to flinch back in surprise. I shot a deadly glance in the direction of Lucas, but he had his head turned from us. Isaac only rolled his eyes before he released my face to go back to just holding my hand.

My stomach continued swirling as we started walking towards the mall, but the butterflies were more uncomfortable than they'd been a few seconds ago. The worry inside of me had appeared the second Isaac's hand had left my cheeks, but even though my throat was burning by the scents in the air, I didn't feel as uncertain about going into the building as I had before. It didn't matter if I had faith in me or even if Isaac kept an arm around me to keep me in place – it would always be a risk for me to be around big crowds.

For the moment, though, it felt like it was worth taking that risk.

* * *

It felt like I was dreaming.

Each step I took felt unreal, like I was about to wake up any second after falling asleep in the car or in the bed. Though I seriously doubted I'd been to this place before, all of it brought a feeling of deja vu. I'd never been much crazed about shopping – it was the feeling of actually being normal that made it seem so attractive now. While being there, the thoughts of how I'd moved from my hometown or how I was struggling to get by with a new life style…All of those bothering thoughts vanished as I walked around with Isaac's hand in a tight grip.

I was being just a sixteen-year-old again.

My mind was so caught in that comfortable thought that it took me a long time to really notice the odd looks I received from the other girls that passed us by. My surprise was shattered only a few seconds later, though, when I found the reason behind their nearly envious expressions. Isaac seemed oblivious to the attention he was given; his face was thoughtful as he glanced around himself, taking in how different this was from how it had been the last couple of weeks.

I had a hard time keeping my own gaze on our surroundings after that; the commercials on the walls and the stocked stores weren't as interesting as watching the curiosity in Isaac's blue eyes. Seeing he'd had about forty years more than me, I was very convinced it was just the drastic change of scenario that was so stunning to him. I could guess that he'd been to bigger places than this.

The time drifted by quickly as we wandered around in the mall, and as the minutes passed us by, I could feel the worry in me absorb until it wasn't in my mind at all. Everything around us became less important as the clock ticked on – even the thought of Lucas waiting in the car turned into a blurry little thought in the back of my head.

All I could see was the old part of Isaac slowly come to surface.

It wasn't that apparent in the beginning, but after at least an hour had passed, I wasn't sure if he noticed how his smiles lasted longer and longer on his lips. Even if I tried looking around to find what we'd gotten here for, it didn't take long before I glanced back at his face just to get a glimpse of the amusement in his eyes. Every time he caught me gazing up at him, his smile only grew wider.

I still managed to eventually collect enough clothes and supplies, though I was quite sure it wouldn't have taken so long if I'd gone alone. As we finally exited the mall, Isaac's hands were occupied with plastic bags – he'd snatched them from me before I'd been able to insist on carrying at least one – while I walked as closely as I could. There was still a slight smile on his lips, but its affection on me weakened as the car came into view and brought the more uncomfortable reality back to me. It took me a few seconds to realize what was off with the Mercedes, though.

I felt the last drops of my previous happiness sipper away from me as I caught sight of the now empty driver's seat.

"Isaac," I said quietly, trying to keep my voice from showing the panic that was starting to burn fiercely inside of me.

He glanced down at me, his face instantly changing into a frown as he easily detected the emotion hiding in my tone. I gazed back at him with wide eyes for a long moment, unable to accept the situation.

"He's gone," I finally managed to get out, though my voice was nearly a hushed mumble.

Without further due, Isaac's eyes darted to the abandoned car, his face turning into a mask of horror as he realized the same as I had. I watched him quietly as he shook his head slightly; I wasn't sure if it was in denial or just to clear his own thoughts. He remained still for just a second before he started rushing towards the car with me in the shadow of his footsteps. Lucas' sudden disappearance was making my mind slightly confused, though.

Merely seconds later, my swirling thoughts were silenced as a precious scent struck me with enough force to make me nearly stumble backwards. My throat felt like it was about to explode by the furious fire of thirst that had burst up inside of me, and though a voice in the back of my mind was telling me to back away, my stronger instincts took over. My steps quickened until I was nearly past Isaac, but before I could reach the car, a strong arm wound around me and pulled me back.

Isaac's lips were just at my ear as he spoke, sending puffs of air down my neck.

"You can control it," he said, his tone surprisingly calm. His words weren't necessary, though; only the sound of his soft voice made me relax slightly from my frenzy.

As I remained still in his tight grip, his arm eased enough to allow me to move more freely. I couldn't make out if he kept his arm around me to restrain me from rushing to the spot where the scent of blood was coming from, or if it was just meant to be comforting. Either way, I didn't want him to let go.

Isaac stood unmoved for a short moment, and I could almost _hear_ his ears sharpen as he listened for his brother. I wasn't steady enough to be able to gain the calmness to do the same, but just the smell in my nose was enough of a track to Lucas. The thirst in me became just a weak flame as I was overflown by a new, more disturbing thought.

Had Lucas' actually killed someone?

"The blood isn't fresh," Isaac said quietly, apparently reading the worry I could feel radiating off of my body, before he added, "And he's not gone."

I felt my eyebrows turn into a confused frown, but I didn't have time to question his statement until he swiftly started walking again, pulling me with him. I wasn't sure if he noticed it himself, but his arm tightened around me as we got closer to the car. I didn't need to be held back this time, though; if anything, I wanted to run back into the mall and stay there until everything was fixed back to normal.

My gaze darted around as we walked, but there were no signs of Lucas – no more than the excruciating scent. All I could see was people watching me and Isaac with confusion clear on their faces. I hadn't realized how obvious my odd behaviour had been. Isaac didn't seem to notice; his gaze was fixed ahead of us. As we got to the car, he didn't pull to a stop until we'd reached back of the Mercedes.

I felt my breath wheeze out of me as I took in the scene.

Lucas' head was bent down and I didn't have to look long before I realized that he was watching the unopened bag of blood he held in his hands. Both his palms and the ends of his sleeves were smeared with red, which I assumed was from the dozen of empty bags that were spread out around him. The revulsion inside of me was strong enough to keep the thirst in control.

The many shopping bags fell to the ground as Isaac hesitantly bent down to put a hand on his brother's shoulder, and it felt like I was about to choke on my own tongue as Lucas' face was revealed to me. Just like his hands, his mouth was covered with blood, making the already wild look in his eyes seem nearly murderous. A sharp sound was heard just mere seconds later, and it took me a while to realize it was my own gasp that had escaped my lips.

"What have you done?" I managed to get out, though my voice wasn't much louder than a whisper.

Lucas' gaze became blank for a short moment, and Isaac watched him just as cautiously as I did while we both waited for him to realize the situation. Though I figured his snap had been caused by the same burning thirst that was troubling me, I couldn't feel anything but shock and anger as I watched the surprise flood into his eyes. I didn't know if it was the blood dripping to the ground or just the fact that he'd lashed out so brutally, but seeing him like that brought horrible images to my mind.

Was it this monster, this reckless animal inside of him, that had attacked my mother? Had this bloody face been her last sight?

The shock had such a tight grip around my mind that it was hard to struggle against my now buckling knees, and I had to support myself on the back of the car to be able to stop from sinking to the ground. I was torn inside; the thirst was starting to get stronger again, making me want to snatch the bag from Lucas' unmoving hands, but at the same time I could feel the tears burn behind my eyelids as I was reminded of how the monster in Lucas really looked.

Though it seemed like Isaac had his full attention directed to Lucas, I knew the frown on his face wasn't meant for his older brother. The way my body crouched slightly and how my hand firmly clung to a part of the car was probably giving away that my emotions weren't under control.

"Lucas?" Isaac's voice was too calm; I knew it was just his effort to stop from freaking out like me. "You need to get into the car before anyone sees you."

I swallowed loudly before answering for Lucas. "I think it's a bit too late for that," I said just as quietly as before.

Although I hadn't glanced around me, I could feel the weight of many gazes on me, and I was quite convinced that there were even more eyes focused on the two brothers.

"The more reason to hurry," Isaac murmured, swiftly looking up at me with worry visible in his eyes.

If I'd had enough control to move, I would've helped him as he wound an arm around Lucas to pull him up from the blood-covered ground, but instead I just held on to the car while I silently watched them. There were many gasps around us as the blood was fully visible to the crowded parking lot, but all I could focus on was the odd pain inside of me as I listened to Lucas' nearly sneering comments when Isaac tried helping him inside the car. Apparently he wasn't as lost in his surprise as I'd thought.

As Isaac returned to my side a few seconds later, my knees were still so weakened by my own swirling emotions that he softly placed his arm around me to help me around to the car door. My gaze fell on Lucas in the backseat for a second before Isaac got me down into my own seat in the front, and just like before, seeing his face made a part inside of me twitch with an unfamiliar pain. All the memories from the past, all the things he'd done…They were piling up inside of my mind until I couldn't look through them to be able to see the same man as I had just a few hours ago.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the neck rest, relying on my hearing instead of my sight. Inside of the mall, people were strolling around as casually as Isaac and I had just a short moment ago, and outside in the parking lot, most were going back to their previous conversations. It was silly to me how the sight of Lucas could just disappear from their minds so quickly.

I knew I wouldn't be able to get it out of my own thoughts.

The harsh sound of Isaac opening and closing the door to the driver's seat made me flinch slightly, but my eyes remained shut while the engine roared to life. My ears, catching more sounds than I wished them to, easily detected the way the fabric of Lucas' shirt was wiped over his face. The sound brought back the thought of blood, which made the thirst burst up again in my throat. It was easier to ignore now, though.

My body swayed as the car started moving, and the many sounds started fading away as we quickly drove away from the mall. I kept my mouth shut and my eyes closed while I tried thinking of things that would distract me from the image of blood smeared out everywhere, but I could easily feel the tension running around in the quiet car.

Eventually, Isaac broke the silence.

"How are you feeling?" he asked softly; obviously, his words were for me.

"I'm fine," I lied quietly. I could easily hear how false it sounded.

Instead of asking more, Isaac only gripped my hand tightly with his own, giving me an ounce of comfortableness. That small content feeling was ruined a short moment later when Lucas spoke, though.

"What's wrong?" His voice was normal, as if he hadn't just created a messy chaos in public.

I bit my lip to keep from say anything snappy; all I wanted was to sit in my own quietness and be able to think of something else than the last time I'd seen his face turn so brutal. Isaac squeezed my hand gently before he answered the question for me.

"I think you know the answer to that question," he said. It surprised me to hear how calmly he spoke while my own feelings were tearing at the inside of me.

"I didn't kill anyone," Lucas quickly replied, sounding defensive.

"You could have."

I tried shutting out the sounds of their conversation, but their voices managed to cut through to my ears.

"I had control of myself," Lucas continued, unaware of how his voice only made me feel worse. "I wasn't going to hurt anyone."

Isaac's voice remained steady as he said, "Who are you trying to convince here?"

Hearing how calm he managed to keep himself made me realize something else, something I hadn't expected to find in my mind. A week ago, I knew Isaac probably would have jumped at Lucas for just tearing up a single one of those blood bags, but now…Now I was the one reacting so strongly. I didn't like the feeling of the anger burning deeply inside of me each time the picture of him with blood on his face came up behind my eyelids. I didn't want to feel so horrible inside, like someone had shaken all of my emotions until they were a messy blur in my mind.

But neither did I want to lie to myself. This time it was _my _trust that Lucas had lost.


	24. Another author's note

I'm really sorry that this is yet another author's note and not a chapter. The thing is that something really sad happened yesterday and it's really taken a toll on my emotions for the moment. I don't want to bring up my own personal problems, so all I want to say is that it might take me a while to finish the chapter.

So, once again, I'm really sorry and I hope you'll read the chapter when it comes.

/**BeCkYbOnG**


	25. Confrontation

**Confrontation**

The silence was unbearable.

All the words I kept inside were building up inside of my throat, choking me to a point where I wanted nothing but to spill it all. The only thing stopping me from speaking up was Lucas, who I was trying my best to avoid looking at. On one hand it felt as if I owed him an explanation for my sudden silence treatment, while on the other I was too mixed up with feelings to be sure I was even thinking straightly.

I wondered if the tenseness in the car was noticeable to Isaac; he looked way too calm to have a lump of repressed feelings blocking his air supplies. All I could catch from his facial expression was the slightest lowering of his eyebrows each time he glanced my way. It shocked me a bit to realize how used I'd gotten to see a frown on his face. So much worry all the time…

"The tank meter is running low."

Isaac's voice, though low and steady, made me jump in my seat. I pretended not to notice the way he scrutinized my face for a long moment, but I failed to keep my expression cool as Lucas replied shortly after.

"So? There should be a tank station around here somewhere."

I felt betrayed by my own feelings when I realized the anger from before had melted away; all I could feel was an odd pinching sensation, as if someone was stabbing me. It hurt.

"I'm not so sure," Isaac said, worry clouding his voice. I knew the reason behind his anxiety, and it was definitely not the lack of tank stations.

He was right, though. All I could see outside was miles and miles of trees and grass.

"Pull over then." Lucas' tone was much calmer.

The car shifted just a second later, but my body didn't crush into the car door like it had the last time we'd turned so quickly. With blood making me warm and healthy, it felt as if I'd never been weak. The only things I had reminding me of how it'd been a few hours ago were weak and unimportant memories.

Both Isaac and Lucas got out as soon as the engine's roar silenced, but I remained in my seat. I pulled my legs up so that I could wind my arms around them and rest my forehead against them, but a knock on the window made me freeze in my motions. My feet found the floor of the car again as I realized it wasn't Isaac standing outside.

I hesitantly pushed my car door open, deliberating on whether or not to slam it into Lucas. Letting my smarter side take over my mind, I went with just simply getting up and closing the door behind me. As I turned to find Isaac, Lucas swiftly took a step to the side so that he was blocking my path. I reluctantly let my eyes trail up to his face, and I was slightly surprised to see the frown on his face.

"You're in my way," I said quietly, though it wasn't meant for only Lucas to hear. Like I'd already figured, Isaac appeared at my side just a second later, instantly catching the warning of my words.

Lucas' eyes narrowed the slightest before he stepped back and I threw a quick glance in his direction before I turned so that my back was facing him. His expression was sour and even though I was quite convinced it wasn't meant for me to see, I could easily notice the way his hands were curled into fists. The image of his anger stayed in the back of my mind as my gaze shifted to Isaac's, which was how I noticed that their facial expressions were nearly identical.

Isaac's eyes lingered just a second too long at his brother's face before they turned to me, giving me a clear sign of where his anger was directed. I stretched up a bit on my toes so that I could meet his gaze directly and also block his view of Lucas.

"What do we do?" I asked, trying to avoid the pair of eyes that were burning holes into the back of my neck.

"I'll go back to the town we were in and find a tank station," Isaac answered, his words coming out so smoothly that I wondered if he'd already figured out his plan in the car.

I felt my eyebrows lower slightly as I said, "I'm coming with you, right?"

The look that flashed across his eyes gave me enough of an answer.

"I'm not staying here with him," I said quietly, though I knew by the sound of a snort behind me, Lucas had still heard my words just as clearly as if I'd spoken loudly.

"Well, he can't go back to that town," Isaac replied calmly, though I could hear that he wasn't nearly as pleased with his plan as he pretended to be. "And do you really think leaving him alone would be a good idea after what happened today?"

Lucas snorted again, and the only thing stopping me from turning around and glaring at him was that Isaac suddenly pulled me close to him in a warm embrace. His lips were at my ear just a beat later and his breath washed down my neck as he spoke again, his voice lower than before.

"Besides, I think you two need to talk," he said, causing me to instinctively shake my head in disagreement. A few puffs of air trickled into my ear as he chuckled, but I barely got the time to react before he was sprinting back the way we'd gotten here.

I stared after him, baffled by his sudden exit and terrified by who I was forced to face.

With reluctant moves I turned on my feet, but without glancing in Lucas' direction, I headed towards the car and the privacy it offered. My hand froze on the handle to the car door, though, when the air swirled familiarly around me and made a few strands of my hair fall into my face. I remained still for a few seconds before I turned to look at Lucas, who had moved much more than I'd thought.

His face was just a few centimetres away from mine, and I pressed myself closer to the car, intimidated by the short distance between us. His gaze was boring into mine, making me both uncomfortable and uncertain about whether or not to glance away from him.

"Talk to me," he said slowly, his eyes not even blinking.

"There's nothing to talk about," I mumbled, wishing he could just take a few steps back.

"Look, I'm sorry, Jessica!" The words sounded odd coming from him, and not only because his tone was beyond exasperated.

My voice was quiet but irritated as I asked, "Do you even know what you're apologizing for?"

His eyebrows furrowed together in a frown as he watched me silently, clearly unable to answer my question.

"That's what I thought," I muttered before I harshly pushed him away from me to be able to get away from the closeness of his face.

Just a second later, though, a strong hand on my shoulder made me slam back against the car.

"Just help me out here a little," Lucas nearly hissed. There was no anger in his gaze, just pure frustration.

I stared at him with wide eyes, paralyzed. He didn't ease his grip on my shoulder as he watched me intensely, obviously not noticing the fear I could feel radiating off of me.

"I thought we were past the grudges," he continued after a long moment of ear-piercing silence. His voice was much calmer than before, but I could still hear the trace of frustration that was left in his tone.

"Well, you thought wrong," I managed to get out.

"Then what do you want me to do?"

If I could've, I would've backed away even further away from him and his suddenly harsh tone.

"I want you to get your hand off of me," I replied as steadily as I could. The fear inside of me was making my voice tremble slightly, though.

His hand remained still where it was, gripping my shoulder as if it was the only thing to hold on to.

"What's the matter with you?" My voice was getting slightly louder, though it still wasn't steady. "You're acting like a total douche."

"_I'm_ acting like a total douche?" he shot back.

"Well, I'm sorry for having a bit of a problem with just accepting the things you've done," I growled, my tone not the slightest apologetic.

"I'm not talking about that," he said, his voice suddenly much quieter than mine.

I stared at him in confusion.

"Everywhere I look, you're right there, kissing him, looking at him like…" His words turned into silence, and a heat of anger flashed through his eyes. I couldn't tell if it was directed towards me or himself.

"Is that what you mean with rubbing it in your face?" I asked. It shocked me to hear how bleak my own voice had turned again.

He didn't say anything, but his silence was enough of an answer to me.

"I'm not trying to do that," I said, my eyebrows lowering slightly over my eyes. "But I can't adjust my life just to make it perfect for you. I'm not going to tip around on my toes."

"I'm not asking you to," he muttered.

"That's exactly what you're doing!"

The anger in his eyes pierced right through me and as it finally weakened, I felt nearly breathless.

"I know you feel something," he said, his voice changing yet again.

What point was there in denying it? It was nothing in comparison to how I felt for Isaac, though, and I knew it would never be. Lucas had hurt me too many times to ever gain my trust. The cuts of his actions were too deep be able to erase.

My thoughts were either clear in my eyes or just able to sense, because Lucas' facial expression darkened before I'd managed to get out an answer.

"I need to hear you say it," he murmured. "Just once."

The words burned in my mouth as I struggled to get them out and I fought against the odd tears that urged to flow down my cheeks as I looked into his now sombre eyes. My mouth opened once, only to be closed again a second later.

Finally, though, I managed to whisper, "I don't love you."

There was just the slightest twitch of the corner of his mouth, but that little sign made it ache inside of me.

"That's all I wanted to hear," he said just as quietly.

And then he was gone, leaving me with nothing but the wind swirling around me.

A shaky breath left my lips as I stared at the empty space in front of me. My shoulder hurt slightly where it had been gripped, but even if I'd wanted to, I couldn't make myself move. I was frozen as I was with my back pressed up against the car and my eyes watching the emptiness. Even the tears stayed still behind my eyelids.

I wasn't sure how long it took for Isaac to return, but it felt like hours had passed when my ears caught the sound of his quick steps. My gaze wandered to the left just as he pulled to a rough stop a foot away from me, and he watched me silently for a long moment. The question was clear in his blue eyes, but I couldn't make myself speak.

As he took the last step that was separating us, I finally managed to pull my stiff body away from the car so that I could crash into his familiar arms. He pressed me tightly to him, and I wondered if he knew how that simple action made my heart warm with comfort. Had he heard my conversation with Lucas, or did he just know my face well enough to know when I was breaking inside?

"What happened?" Isaac asked quietly, making me lean slightly more to my second guess.

The only sound leaving my lips was a soft sigh as his hands started carefully stroking my back. He remained silent, too, for a long moment as he obviously waited for me to answer him. Eventually, though, he leaned back to look at me and his hands moved to cradle my face instead.

"I won't be angry if that's what you think," he said, confusing me to a point where I couldn't keep from frowning.

"Why would I think so?" I asked quietly.

"If anything happened between you…" His voice trailed off into silence and his eyebrows lowered slightly over his eyes before he added, "I wouldn't get angry."

"Nothing happened," I quickly blurted out, desperate to stop his thoughts before they could lead to any further assumptions.

"Then why do you look so guilty?" he asked, his facial expression remaining grave.

Did I? I couldn't feel anything but a weak emptiness inside.

"What happened?" he asked again, before I'd even gathered enough sense to answer his previous question.

If it hadn't been for the fact that his hands kept my face still and his gaze was locked with mine, I would've avoided speaking by turning around. But instead, I just drew in a deep breath and let the words burst out before I could regret them.

"I told him I didn't love him."

Every emotion drained from Isaac's face, and for a long moment he only stared at me with unreadable eyes. My words hung in the air, feeling unreal and yet at the same time so right that I wondered why I hadn't been able to say them before today.

"Was it the truth?" Isaac finally asked, his voice cautious.

I nodded almost hesitantly, unsure if it would be enough of an answer to assure him. He was silent for a short moment and I held my breath while I waited to see what reaction would come from him. The air in my lungs didn't get to leave my body before his lips had suddenly found mine, and I was too stunned to be able to respond to the kiss until he'd leaned back just a few seconds later. His breathy laugh washed over my face as his hands snuck into my hair to keep me close.

"You seem relieved," I managed to get out, though I was very side-tracked by his passionate response.

"Believe me, I am," he replied, sounding nearly exhilarant.

I shook my head in disbelief, though it took me quite an effort to move with his fingers twisted into my hair.

"Are you doubting yourself?" I teased, my tone much warmer than it had been a minute ago.

He laughed quietly again before he placed another soft kiss on my lips, pushing away some of the odd pain inside of me. With his nose brushing lightly against mine and his lips touching mine, all the pain, worry and disturbing thoughts lifted from my chest. Even though I knew they were hovering over me, just waiting for the moment when Isaac's presence wouldn't distract me, it gave me hope of feeling just as whole as I did in the moment.

I had to admit that I felt a bit surprised of how lightly Isaac took his brother's disappearance, though I knew I shouldn't be. He'd made an effort to make things less strained with Lucas, but that effort had been for me and not for himself. His feelings had obviously remained the same, just glowing beneath the surface and waiting to break through again. But with Lucas gone, they seemed to have melted away completely…

The feeling of Isaac's fingers softly curling around the locks of my hair managed to cut off my trail of thought.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to do that," I mumbled as he rested his forehead against mine.

"You weren't sure what you felt," he replied, making it a statement instead of a question.

I didn't know if he was right, so all I said was, "I know for sure what I feel now."

He answered with another one of his gentle kisses, and I could feel how the corners of his lips curved upwards in a smile. As he leaned away, I barely got to see how mysterious that smile was before he suddenly, and very swiftly, let go of me. He spun around, though after grabbing a tight hold of my hand, and tugged me along towards the brightly green area on the east side of the road. I would've followed him even if he hadn't been holding my hand, but my steps were a bit more hesitant than his graceful ones.

The car was far behind us when he finally pulled to a stop, and I uncertainly glanced around myself to see what could be holding his interest. My gaze stopped fluttering around when he turned to me again, though; his smile was still playing on his lips, which made his eyes glitter with excitement, and I felt my own expression fall completely.

I only glanced down at my hand as he slid the ring off of my finger, but the confusion made my eyebrows lower slightly. My eyes slowly wandered up to his face again, and it surprised me to see how much more serious expression was.

"I don't know if this is the right moment for you," he said quietly, almost hesitantly. "All I know is that I've wanted to do this for a very long time, and that I don't want to wait any longer."

I had a tingling feeling in my stomach; a part of my brain was already a step ahead of me with figuring out what was going on. I followed him with my gaze as he knelt down on one knee, and just a second later my mind made the connection. My jaw dropped slightly and I couldn't quite remember how to close it again.

"I don't ever want to be frightened of loosing you again," Isaac continued, his voice softer. "I want to spend every day with you by my side, where no one will be able to take you away from me. And if you let me, I'll do anything to show the world just how much I love you."

"You're making me blush," I mumbled, unable to stop from smiling sheepishly.

His mouth twitched for a moment, but his eyes remained steady and serious as he watched me with an expression I'd never seen before.

"Jessica Moore, will you do me the honour of marrying me?" he finally finished.

I knelt down, too, so that my face was on the same level as his. "Of course I will," I murmured, the smile still intact on my lips.

This time I was already prepared when his lips touched mine again; I quickly locked my arms around his neck before he could slink away like he'd done before, but my precaution was unnecessary. His kiss lasted long enough for me to feel out of breath, and I was quite sure I heard him pull in an unsteady amount of air as he eventually leaned back as far as he could with my arms restraining him.

He effortlessly wormed out of my grip, but before I could start pouting, he grabbed my hand softly. I watched quietly as he slid the ring on again where it had been placed for so long that it felt like a part of me.

"You do know how silly you are, right?" I said teasingly as my gaze met his again. "I'm pretty sure one proposal is good enough for any person."

"Well, this was how my proposal should've been from the beginning," he answered warmly.

I had surprise on my side as I pushed at his shoulders, causing him to land with his back on the soft grass. He managed to pull me with him, though, and the low chuckle that left his lips made me smile again. While I willingly drowned in Isaac's blue eyes, I couldn't fully escape noticing the image of Lucas' hurt face that flashed by in a dark little corner of my mind. It wasn't strong enough to distract me from the happiness that was bubbling inside of me, but neither was it so weak that I could will it to disappear. The fact that it had only been a few minutes ago instead of years since he'd been standing right in front of me felt odd, though I'd already accepted the fact that he was gone.

Because I knew, deep down, that he really was.

* * *

**So, this chapter took me a lot longer to write than I'd first thought, and I'm deeply sorry if everything just sounds…blah. I've been sitting down by the computer almost every day and trying to form some decent sentences, and well, this short chapter was all I could come up with. ****Also, I hope you guys don't hate me for the whole Lucas-thing. Trust me, it didn't feel good at all to write that scene… **

**I do hope that you didn't find everything totally disastrous or too cheesy, though, and it would really warm my heart to see a few reviews ;)**


	26. Author's note!

Hey guys!

Look, I know I suck at updating, but you have to understand that after 52 chapters (yep, I just counted them xD), it's sort of hard to come up with anything to write. Also, I'm struggling to find an ending that won't be disappointing or too cheesy, so it's not exactly a piece of cake for me. But I am **really**, **really** working on the last chapter of the story, and it will go straight up here when I finish it.

I have actually been writing during this month, though not only about these characters. I don't know if you remember, but in one of the chapters of "Save me", I slipped in a little sneak peak of a story I've been working on for a while. And, well, I'm kinda thinking about uploading it here. So far I have like two chapters and a lot of scenes, but I'm trying to bind it all together. But what do you think? Should I upload a new story after this one's finished?

Love you all and your awesome support!

/**B**e**C**k**Y**b**O**n**G**


	27. Love you all!

I'm sorry.

I don't really expect that anyone actually remembers that this story exists – by the lack of updating, it's probably landed at page 15 of all the vampire stories. But, if some bored little person out there happens to come across this Author's Note, I just want to say that I'm truly sorry. When I look back now, I can't recall _why_ I ever began writing this sequel. It seems that every chapter has some spark of sadness or grief, and that's really not the way I ever wanted it to be.

Perhaps, one day, I'll finish this story. But as of right now, I don't think I'll be able to come up with anything that doesn't involve everyone just dropping dead. These past twelve months have been extremely rough; I've lost many beloved ones, among them a best friend (/pet) I've had for nearly seven years. And, frankly, without her I don't feel the same joy and inspiration as I did when I first started writing.

I want to thank everyone who spent time reading and reviewing both "Save me" and "Stay with me". You guys have been _soooo_ awesome!

I don't know if I have the courage to publish the other two stories I'm currently trying to write, but who knows? Maybe I'll get to talk to you amazing people again :)

I love you all,  
BeCkYbOnG


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